Assessment of Urban Land Use Change within the Spatial and Legal Framework

This study aims to evaluate changes in urban land use in terms of spatial and regulatory compliance. The research universe is the reserve project planning area in the Kırıkhan district of Hatay province. In this area, pre- and post-project land use types (commercial, residential, religious, educational, park, road, etc.) were compared using numerical data. During the analysis process, spatial data production and comparative mapping were carried out using Netcad and ArcGIS software. The obtained area sizes were evaluated considering legal regulations such as the Urban Planning Law No. 3194, the Municipalities Law No. 5393, and the Environmental Law No. 2872. The findings reveal significant increases in commercial and residential areas, while decreases were observed in public areas such as social amenities, green spaces, and roads. This situation has the potential to cause various issues in terms of urban living quality and planning principles. The study makes the spatial impacts of local-scale planning decisions visible and provides evaluation criteria for more balanced and legally compliant urban development.