WEEK 2-THE FIELDWORK

After a long (12 hour) bus drive we finally arrived at Zonguldak. Such an impressive trip it was from the Aegean coast to the Blacksea coast. Passing through major industrial centres of Turkey and observing the urban impacts of these developments and the changes in the landscape, the trip itself was a field work.

Day 1 Regional Development Issues in the West Blacksea Region

On our first day in Zonguldak our team was hosted by the West Blacksea Regional Development Agency. The Secretary General of the Agency and two urban and regional planners of the Agency made a detailed presentation of economic and spatial development issues in the wider region in which Zonguldak is located.

 The Planned Regional Development Schema of the West Black Sea Region

We were informed that the recent regional development plan of the West Blacksea Region was developed on the basis of changing the mono-sector dependent economic structure of the region and developing alternative sectors. Here the Agency stressed the so-called Filyos Valley Project of 1000 ha. land, which aimed at the development of the region as the industrial and logistics base of Turkey with the construction of the largest port of the country, a free zone, an organised industrial zone of 400 ha and several hydroelectric power plants in the most productive agricultural land of the region. Our enthusiastic team obviously had a critical approach to the project and asked challenging questions to the representatives of the Agency. We all had been very curious about the Valley where the planned project would take place and already started to think about the possible impacts of this mega project on the city of Zonguldak.

In the afternoon the research groups had their visits to various institutions in Zonguldak to collect data related with their research areas.

Day 6 Getting Prepared for the Fieldwork: Methodological Issues

1. Movie-screening: The Dream of the Butterfly

Day 6 started with the movie 'Kelebeğin Rüyası (The Dream of the Butterfly)' screening. The movie brought us back to the 1940s-the modernism period of early Republican days and told us the story of miners in the city of Zonguldak.

We continued with a discussion of the movie and spatial issues in Zonguldak.

2. Methodological Issues: Reading the City

The afternoon session started with group discussions based on Assignment 4, which aimed at linking theoretical discussions, concepts and empirical evidence with the spatial dimension of urban development in Zonguldak.

Assignment 4: Reading the City
Based on the initial analysis of your research group and the theoretical discussions we made so far, write down the first five issues which occur to you about your research area when the name of Zonguldak is mentioned. What are the spatial implications of the issue that you raise? What would you expect to observe in Zonguldak related with the issue that you mention?

3. Methodological issues: Landuse and questionnaire surveys

This seminar was followed by two lectures. The first lecture was given by Semahat Özdemir and was about making landuse surveys in the field. The second seminar was given by Güldem Özatağan. Her lecture started with the merits of fieldwork and later talked about designing and doing questionnaire surveys.

4. After-work meeting

So we were ready to leave for getting packed for a long and definitely exciting trip to Zonguldak tomorrow!

Day 5 Research Team Presentations: Preliminary findings

Day 5 aimed at sharing preliminary findings of the research that research groups have undertaken so far. 8 Research Groups presentated their findings on the basis of Assignment 3.

Assignment 3: assessment and presentation

Using the quantitative data collected and analysed during the week, and keeping with the theoretical discussions on deindustrialisation and urban shrinkage, write an assessment of your main preliminary findings about Zonguldak and prepare a presentaion. For the write up, you should produce an assessment of the extent to which Zonduldak is de-industrialised and experienced urban shrinkage, and the  challenges that these changes brought about to the city. The audience to which you are writing might be the local authority of Zonduldak. In making your assessment you should draw on the systematic quantitative and qualitative data gathered and analysed by your group.

The 8 groups did really great and contributed a lot to give us an initial idea of what kind of a city we are visiting. The big zonguldak team had their second after-work meeting at the pier in the small village fishermen's village of Urla. Had great fun of course!

Day 4 In-class research team work under the supervision of mentors

Such a hot day and our enthusiastic team worked very hard to develop their research until we leave for the fieldtrip. Well-done you!

The day is closed with the distribution of Assignment 3.

Assignment 3: assessment and presentation

Deadline: 19 August 2013

Using the quantitative data collected and analysed during the week, and keeping with the theoretical discussions on deindustrialisation and urban shrinkage, write an assessment of your main preliminary findings about Zonguldak and prepare a presentaion.

For the write up, you should produce an assessment of the extent to which Zonduldak is de-industrialised and experienced urban shrinkage, and the  challenges that these changes brought about to the city. The audience to which you are writing might be the local authority of Zonduldak. In making your assessment you should draw on the systematic quantitative data gathered and analysed by your group.

Day 3 In-class research team work and student presentations

1. In-class research team work
In the morning session of Day 3 students continued working in groups to develop their research findings under the supervision of mentors.

2. Research team presentations
The afternoon session started with research team presentations on how their work developed and suggestions of the mentors and the class for improving their work.

3. After-work meeting
Our hard work deserved the summer breeze and cold beer of course. That is exactly what we did in the evening :)

Thanks to the contributers and the staff of Egesev restaurant, we had a lovely evening...

accompanied by ice cold beer, delicious food and nice conversations!

Day 2 In-class research team work and student presentations

1. In-class research team work
The second day started with an in-class team work. Student were given Assignment 2 to work in the class under the supervision of mentors.

Assignment 2

You started to download the data that your team requires to answer its research questions. Your task is to use tables/graphs/figures, and write a paragraph that makes a claim about the topic you are investigating (e.g: deindustrialisation in Zonguldak for which you are investigating the pattern of manufacturing labour from 1980-2012). Within your paragraph, reference a graph of your own design that argues visually what your paragraph argues verbally. Give your table/graph/figure a number and a title, and label the axes clearly. You may begin your paragraph with a sentence like this:

‘the deindustrialisation of Zonguldak from 1980 can be shown by the precipitous drop in the number of people employed in manufacturing beginning in 1980’.

The assignment is due 3 pm when research teams will start presenting the aim of their teams, the research questions the team is answering and  initial findings.

2. Research team presentations

In the afternoon research teams made their presentations.

WEEK 1-GETTING PREPARED FOR THE FIELDWORK

Day 1: Developing a conceptual framework: Understanding de-industrialisation and shrinkage

Zonguldak Field Course took a start today with an introduction to the course. Mentors made presentations on the purpose and the methodology of the course. This introductory seminar was followed by in-class team work and theoretical lectures which aimed to develop a conceptual framework on deindustrialisation and urban shrinkage. 

1. In-class team work
Students were formed into 4 groups of six to discuss and present their answers on the following questions:

The de-industrialisation team:
     What is de-industrialisation and what are the characteristics of a de-industrialising city? Read the assigned article by Lever (1991). In a short essay of 300 words, summarise the characteristics of Glasgow that make Glasgow a de-industrialising city.

The urban shrinkage team:

     What are the causes of urban shrinkage? Read the assigned article by Martinez-Fernandez et al. (2012a). Place your answer into a frame that begins with the following sentence: ‘There are ...(number) main causes for urban shrinkage. First, (state the cause and support it).... Second, ..... Third, .....’. Continue with as many causes as you determine.

The shrinking mining cities team:

     What are the common factors underpinning the shrinkage of the four mining cities in Australia, Mexico, Japan and  Canada? Read the assigned article by Martinez-Fernandez et al. (2012b). In a short essay of 300 words, place your answer into a frame that begins wit the following sentence: ‘There are .... (number) common dynamics that lead to shrinkage in the four mining cities. The first one is ...... (state the dynamic and provide a brief explanation). Second, ... Third, .... Continue as many as you determine.

The challenges of urban shrinkage team:

    Based on your assigned readings, what do you think are the challenges of de-industrialising and shrinking cities that planners and policy-makers have to deal with? Provide your answer in a short essay of 300 words.

References

·         Lever, W.F., 1991, Deindustrialisation and the reality of the post-industrial city, Urban Studies, 28 (6): 983-999

·   Martinez-Fernandez, C., Audirac, I., Fol, S. And Cunningham-Sabot, E., 2012, Shrinking cities: urban challenges of globalisation

·   Martinez-Fernandez, C., Wu, C-T, Schatz, L.K., Taira, N. And Vargas-Hernandez, J.G., 2012, The shrinking mining city: Urban dynamics and contested territory, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 36 (2): 245-260.

We had a very fast and productive beginning. Students discussed the pre-read articles in groups...

...and presented a slide show of their discussions to given questions.

2. Lecture 1
Industrial Decline, Urban Shrinkage and  Emerging Questions for Understanding Change in a Mining City by Güldem Özatağan
In-class team work and student presentations were followed by a lecture which aimed to develop a conceptual framework on deindustrialisation and urban shrinkage and present emerging questions for understanding change in Zonguldak.

The first lecture following the students' discussions at the end of Day 1!

3. Formation of Reseach Teams
The afternoon session started with the formation of research teams and circulation of their research questions. 9 teams were formed
-Research Team 1: The Changing Economic Structure
-Research Team 2: Demographic and Social Change
-Research Team 3: Changing Urban Form
-Research Team 4: Transportation
-Research Team 5: The History of Planning
-Research Team 6: Changing Institutional and Administrative Structure
-Research Team 7: Environmental Change
-Research Team 8: Physical Infrastructure
-Research Team 9: Changing Urban Identity and Urban Conservation

4. In-class Mentor-Research Team Work

In the rest of the day, mentors talked to research teams on the teams' research questions and the data or information that they need to meet the research teams' research questions.