A Principle-Based Prioritization Approach in Istanbul’s Transportation System

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 1133 - 1153, 27.12.2025

Abdullah Demir

https://doi.org/10.30785/mbud.1758244

Abstract

This study proposes a holistic, principle-based approach to Istanbul’s transportation problems instead of fragmented solutions. A three-stage analytical methodology was developed to evaluate Istanbul’s transportation system from a principle-oriented perspective. In the first stage, 12 principles shaped by a sense of stewardship were identified based on current literature and expert insights. These principles were grouped under four thematic pillars and prioritized using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). In the second stage, the current transportation policies of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) were evaluated by experts. These evaluations were then clustered using the K-Means method, and the resulting clusters were interpreted to prioritize the identified problem areas. In the final stage, strategic documents and project proposals were assessed through a principle-alignment analysis and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, respectively. In this way, the strategies and projects most closely aligned with the identified principles were systematically revealed. By integrating qualitative and quantitative analyses (expert judgments, AHP, K-Means, TOPSIS) within a mixed-methods framework, the research aims to provide decision-makers with a viable and objective basis for transportation policy development.

Keywords

Istanbul transportation , principle-based prioritization , stewardship , AHP , K-Means , TOPSIS

Ethical Statement

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Fatih Gündoğan (Former Deputy General Manager of ISBAK Inc.) and Dr. Ahmet Bağış (Former General Manager of IETT) for their support. I also extend my thanks to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Halim Baş (Social Work Specialist), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yalçın Kahya (Sociologist), Dr. Abdullah Karadağ (Intelligent Transportation and Control Systems Expert), Dr. Fatih Kafalı (Smart Cities Expert), Enes Aluç (Architect and Lecturer), and Lutfullah Duman (Industrial Engineer) for their invaluable contributions in preparing this paper. The article complies with national and international research and publication ethics. Ethics committee approval was not required for the study. This study was developed based on the report titled “A Holistic Approach to Istanbul Transportation: Evaluation of Problems, Policies, and Strategic Approaches” authored by the writer, using a mixed-method approach grounded in expert opinions.

İstanbul Ulaşımına İlkesel Önceliklendirme Temelli Bir Değerlendirme Yaklaşımı

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, İstanbul’un ulaşım sorunlarına parçacı müdahaleler yerine, kavramsal derinliği olan, sistematik ve ilke temelli bütüncül bir yaklaşım önerilmektedir. İstanbul’un ulaşım sistemini ilke odaklı bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirmek amacıyla üç aşamalı bütüncül bir yöntem çerçevesi geliştirilmiştir. İlk aşamada, güncel literatür ve uzman görüşleri doğrultusunda “emanet bilinci” çerçevesinde şekillenen 12 ilke tespit edilmiş; bu ilkeler dört tematik başlık altında gruplanarak Analitik Hiyerarşi Süreci (AHS) yöntemiyle önceliklendirilmiştir. İkinci aşamada, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesinin yürürlükteki ulaşım politikaları uzmanlar tarafından değerlendirilmiş; bu değerlendirmeler K-Means yöntemiyle kümelenmiş ve ortaya çıkan kümeler üzerinden sorun alanlarının öncelikleri yorumlanmıştır. Son aşamada ise hem stratejik belgeler hem de proje önerileri, sırasıyla ilkesel uyum analizi ve TOPSIS (İdeal Çözüme Yakınlığa Göre Tercih Sıralaması Tekniği) yöntemi aracılığıyla incelenmiş; böylece belirlenen ilkelere en yüksek düzeyde karşılık gelen strateji ve projeler sistematik biçimde ortaya konmuştur. Araştırma, karma yöntem yaklaşımı (uzman görüşleri, AHS, K-Means, TOPSIS) ile nitel ve nicel analizleri bütünleştirerek, karar vericilere İstanbul ulaşım politikalarının geliştirilmesi için uygulanabilir ve nesnel bir değerlendirme zemini sunmayı amaçlamıştır.

Keywords

İstanbul ulaşımı , ilke temelli önceliklendirme , emanet bilinci , AHS , K-Means , TOPSIS

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