Abstract
Eco-villages that provide the basis for creating sustainable common lifestyles have been established as an alternative to protect natural and cultural resource values in many countries of the world, which are the goals of sustainable rural development plans and to ensure economic development of local communities. In this study, the existing potentials of the core villages (Güllübahçe, Eski Doğanbey, Kirazlı, Caferli, and Yaylaköy) which have made various efforts to become an Eco-Village and which on the ecotourism network passing through the districts of Söke and Kuşadası in Aydın have been evaluated on a 5 point Likert scale and by considering the 8 basic criteria that define sustainable eco-villages and 92 sub-criteria. Being on the ecotourism network of core villages, being open to development, having suitable lands, providing transportation and social activities easily, preserving natural and cultural characteristics has been determined as strengths while being failure to preserve local architecture, insufficient using of renewable energy resources, being failure to support organic production, lack of providing employment has been identified as common weaknesses. Solutions suggestions for existing ecological, economic, and social problems were presented to analyze core villages to become full-fledged eco-villages.