Tek Büyük Kent Kuramı Ekseninde Benin: Cotonou Örneği

Year 2021, Volume: 4 Issue: 3, 493 - 508, 31.12.2021

Bilge Kağan Şakacı , Abdel Soumanou Selçuk Özkaya

https://doi.org/10.33712/mana.984399

Abstract

Jefferson'un “Tek Büyük Kent Kuramı”; bir ülkenin ana şehrinin daima nüfusta orantısız ve istinai şekilde ulusal ekonomik kapasiteyi ve ulus duygusunu temsil ettiğini ifade etmektedir. Bu çalışma Benin’in ekonomik başkenti olan Cotonou’nun, Jefferson’un “kuramına” tam olarak ne ölçüde uygun olduğunu incelemektedir. Alansal ve durumsal bazı faktörler; Cotonou’nun, nasıl Benin’in en yüksek nüfuslu ve ekonomik olarak dominant kenti olduğunu göstermek için vurgulanmıştır. Cotonou’nun, ülkenin ekonomik kapasitesinin önemli payına ve orantısız olarak geniş nüfusa sahip olması dikkate alındığında, Cotonou’nun ulus duygusunu gerçekten temsil edip etmediğine ilişkin bazı belirsizlikler netleşecektir. Bu durumu netleştirmek adına, Cotonou’nun ulus duygusunu temsil edip etmediğini değerlendirmek için; kültürel peyzaj açıklamasında, literatür taramasında ve Benin sakinleriyle görüşmelerde bulunulmuştur. Bununla yanında, Benin modernleştikçe, Cotonou’nun ülkenin diğer yerlerinden insanları çekmeye devam edeceği ve ülkenin kültürel kimliğini daha çok temsil edebileceği belirtilmiştir.

Keywords

Tek Büyük Kent, Kentleşme, Benin, Cotonou.

Benin on the Axis of the Law of the Primate City: The Case of Cotonou

Abstract

Jefferson's “law of the primate city” states that the principal city of a country always disproportionately and deliberately represents the national economic capacity and the sense of nation in the population. This study examines the extent to which Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, is fully in line with Jefferson's “law”. Some spatial and situational factors were highlighted to show how Cotonou has become the most populous city and dominant economic city in Benin. Considering that Cotonou is disproportionately large and has a significant share of the country's economic capacity, it is clear that today there is some uncertainty as to whether Cotonou is truly representative of national feeling. In order to clarify this issue, an explanation of the cultural landscape, a literature review and interviews with Beninese residents are conducted to assess the extent to which Cotonou represents national feeling. Furthermore, it is noted that as Benin modernizes, Cotonou will continue to attract more people from other parts of Benin and may therefore become more representative of the country's cultural identity.

Keywords

Primate City, Urbanisation, Benin, Cotonou.

References

• ANDERSON, Perry (2009), The New Old World, Verso Press, London.
• ATLASOCIO.COM (2021), “Sources et Définitions”, Atlasocia.Com Corporate Web Page, https://atlasocio.com/sources-et-definitions.php (Erişim Tarihi: 02.08.2021).
• BÉNIN-TOURISME (2017), “Bienvenue au Bénin”, Benin Tourisme.Com Corporate Web Page, https://benin-tourisme.com (Erişim Tarihi: 02.08.2021).
• BERRY, Brain J. L. (1961), “City Size Distributions and Economic Development”, Economic Development and Cultural Change, S.9(4), ss.573-588.
• BOULDING, Kenneth E. (1968), “The City as an Element in the International System”, Daedalus, S.97(4), ss.1111–1123.
• CHABI, Moïse (2013), “Métroploisation et Dynamiques Périurbaines: Cas de l'espace Urbain de Cotonou”, Yayımlanmamış Doktora Tezi, Thèse de Doctorat en Géographie Humaine, Économie et Régionale, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défense.
• CLARK, Richard D. (1988), “The Primate and the Elephant City: A Tale of Two Theses”, Social Science Quarterly, S.69(1), ss.40-52.
• CRAMPTON, Graham (2005), “The Rank-Size Rule in Europe: Testing Zipf’s Law Using European Data”, ERSA2005 Conference, Amsterdam.
• CYBRIWSKY, Roman A. (1998), Tokyo: The Shogun’s City at the Twenty-First Century, John Wiley and Sons Publisher, Chichester.
• DANVIDÉ, Taméon Benoît (2015), Gouvernance des Politiques de Planification Urbaine et Gestion des Inondations à Cotonou (Bénin), Yayımlanmamış Doktora Tezi, Thèse Unique de Doctorat pour l’obtention du grade de Docteur en: Urbanisme et Gestion de l’environnement (Université d’Abomey-Calavi) Géographie Humaine et Régionale (Université Paris 8).
• DARBY, William (1828), View of the United States: Historical, Geographical, and Statistical, H. S. Tanner Publisher, Philadelphia (US).
• DZIK, Anthony J. (2018), “Nuuk, Greenland: Site, Situation, and ‘The Law of the Primate City’”, The Northern Review 48, Published by Yukon College, Whitehorse - Canada, ss.3-32.
• GNÉLÉ, Jose Edward (2010), “Dynamique de la Planification Urbaine et Perspective de Développement Durable à Cotonou (Bénin)”, Yayımlanmamış Doktora Tezi, Thèse de doctorat en Géographie et Environnement, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, FLASH.
• INSAE (2002), Analyse des résultats du RGPH 3 (Tome 1) : Répartition spatiale, structure par sexe et âge et migration de la population au Bénin, Cotonou, Bénin.
• INSAE, (2013), Enquête Démographique et de Santé (EDSB-IV) 2011-2012: Ministère du Développement, de l’Analyse Economique et de la Prospective, ICF International Calverton Publisher, Maryland (US).
• JACOBS, Jane (1969), The Economy of Cities, Random House Publisher, New York (US).
• JEFFERSON, Mark (1939), “The Law of the Primate City”, Geographical Review, S.29(April), ss.226-232.
• JOHNSTON, Ron (1994), “Primate City: Law of The”, The Dictionary of Human Geography (Ed. Ron Johnston, Derek Gregory, Peter Hagget, David M. Smith, D. R. Stoddart), Blackwell Press, Oxford (UK), 3rd Edition, ss.473.
• JOHNSTON, Ron (2009), “Primate City: The Law of”, The Dictionary of Human Geography (Ed. Derek Gregory, Ron Johnston, Geraldine Pratt, Michael J. Watts, Sarah Whatmore), Wiley-Blackwell Publisher, Chichester, 5th Edition, ss.580.
• KELEŞ, Ruşen (2020), Kentleşme Politikası, İmge Kitabevi, Ankara.
• LE MAÎTRE, Alexandre L. (1682), La Métropolitée: de l’établissement des Villes Capitales, de Leur Utilité Passive et Active, de l’union de Leurs Parties et de Leur Anatomie, de Leur Commerce, &c., Baltes Bockhout pour Jean Van Gorp Publisher, Amsterdam.
• LYMAN, Brad (1992), “Colonial Governance in the Development of Urban Primacy”, Studies in Comparative International Development, S.27(2), ss.24-38.
• MARTIN, Geoffrey J. (1961), “The Law of the Primate City Re-examined”, Journal of Geography, S.60(4), ss.165-172.
• MEYER, William B. (2019), “Urban Primacy before Mark Jefferson”, Geographical Review, S.109(1), ss.131-145.
• N’BESSA, Benoît (1979), “Les Fonctions Urbaines de Cotonou”, Yayımlanmamış Doktora Tezi, Thése de Doctorat de 3éme cycle, Université de Bordeaux III.
• PACIONE, Michael (2005), Urban Geography: A Global Perspective, Routledge Press, London (UK), 2nd Edition.
• PNUD (2000), Etudes Nationales de Perspectives à Long Terme (Bénin 2025): Alafia, PRCIG/NLTPS/BEN, Cotonou - Bénin.
• POPULATIONDATA.NET (2021), “Afrique”, Populationdata.Net Corporate Web Page, https://www.populationdata.net/continents/afrique/ (Erişim Tarihi: 02.08.2021).
• PRÉSIDENCE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE DU BÉNIN (2021), “La Géographie du Bénin”, https://presidence.bj/home/le-benin/geographie/ (Erişim Tarihi: 02.08.2021).
• REED, Robert R. (1972), “The Primate City in Southeast Asia: Conceptual Definitions and Colonial Origins”, Asian Studies, S.10, ss.283-320.
• ROSENBERG, Matt (2019), “The Law of the Primate City, Primate Cities and the Rank-Size Rule”, https://www.thoughtco.com/law-of-primate-cities-1435793 (Erişim Tarihi: 02.08.2021).
• SAWERS, Larry (1989), “Urban Primacy in Tanzania”, Economic Development and Cultural Change, S.37(4), ss.841-859.
• SERHAU-SA/DPDM/MCOT (2006), Rapport économique de la ville de Cotonou. Cotonou, Bénin.
• SHORT, John Rennie and PINET-PERALTA, Loius Mauricio (2009), “Urban Primacy: Reopening the Debate”, Geography Compass, S.3(3), ss.1245-1266.
• SOTINDJA, Dossa Sébastien (1999), “Le doublet urbain Cotonou - Porto-Novo: les Raisons de Deux Capitales à Deux Vitesses”, Rev. CAMES, S.1, ss.90-100.
• THOMLINSON, Ralph (1976), Population Dynamics: Causes and Consequences of World Demographic Change, Random House Publisher, New York (US).
• TIMBERLAKE, Michael (2019), Primate Cities, University of Utah Publisher, Utah (US).
• TOPALOV, Christian, COUDROY DE LILLE, Laurent, DEPAULLE, Jean-Charles and MARIN, Brigitte (2010), L’Aventure des Mots de la Ville, Robert Laffont, Paris.
• WEBSTER, Noah (1973 [1828]), An American Dictionary of the English Language, Johnson Reprint Corp Publisher, New York (UK).
• WHITNEY, William Dwight and SMITH, Benjamin Eli (1911), The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, The Century Company Publisher, New York (US).