From traditional density to compaction index: the example of Van province

Year 2022, , 52 - 59, 30.06.2022

Ahmet Aktaş , Burak Uyar

https://doi.org/10.51354/mjen.1021241

Abstract

Due to the spread of epidemic diseases such as Covid 19, through the mobility and interaction of infected people, rates of transmission, infection and death are even higher in urban areas with higher density. Density is a measurement obtained by dividing the number of people by the area; we can call it "Traditional Density". However, traditional density alone is not enough for cities that are growing and developing day by day and becoming increasingly complex. In the study, the average compaction index for Van province was calculated as 3788.67 person/km2 (one person in Van province lives with 3788.67 persons in one square kilometer). According to the traditional population density, there are 57.69 people per square kilometer in Van throughout the province. While the traditional density for the city center of Van is 1368.39 person/km2, this value is 7164.92 person/km2 according to the compaction index. The Compaction Index, weighted density by population, is an alternative to the traditional density scale, which is the total population divided by the total area. The compaction index is the average of the densities of the subareas of a larger area weighted by the populations of the subareas. Urban sprawl is directly related to compaction, and the selection of the appropriate density scale is crucial for a developing city. Although both types of density are positively related to the size of urban areas, the compaction index takes a different density aspect compared to conventional density. Compaction index; It is a scale that should be considered in situations such as health, transportation, urban life, education, fire, natural disaster management and coordination. Therefore, it is a useful alternative in most cases.

Keywords

Population Density, Population Weighted Density, Compaction Index, Van Province

References

• [1] Avent. Ryan. 2011. The Gated City. Kindle Single. Amazon.
• [2] Barnes, G. (2001). Population and employment density and travel behavior in large US cities.
• [3] Başer. O. (2021). Population density index and its use for distribution of Covid-19: A case study using Turkish data. Health Policy. 125(2). 148-154.
• [4] Bradford. Chris. 2008a. Perceived density. Austin Contrarian (website). Accessed from http:// austinzoning.typepad.com/austincontrarian/2008/03/perceived-densi.html on February 7. 2017.
• [5] Castro, J. V. (2003). Regional convergence, polarisation and mobility in the European Union, 1980-1996. Journal of European Integration, 25(1), 73-86.
• [6] Coombes, M., & Raybould, S. (2001). Public policy and population distribution: developing appropriate indicators of settlement patterns. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 19(2), 223-248.
• [7] Craig. John. 1984. Averaging population density. Demography 21. 3 (August): 405-412.
• [8] Craig. John. 1985. Better measures of population density. Population Trends No.39: 16-21.
• [9] Davies. Alan. 2012a. Is Los Angeles really the densest city in the US? The Urbanist (website). Accessed from https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2012/10/17/is-los angeles-really-the-densest-city-in-the-us/ on February 8. 2017.
• [10] Dede. O. M.. & Şekeroğlu. A. (2019). Sağlıklı kent kavramı için nüfus kriterinin önemi. Kent Akademisi. 12(4). 703-713.
• [11] Dorling, D., & Atkins, D. J. (1995). Population density, change and concentration in Great Britain 1971, 1981 and 1991.
• [12] Endeksa Teknoloji A.Ş. 2021. Van İli demografik analizlerine yönelik veriler https://www.endeksa.com/tr/analiz/van/demografi Endeksa Teknoloji A.Ş. Ankara Erişim tarihi: 05.04.2021
• [13] Florida, Richard. 2012. America’s truly densest metros. CityLab (website). Accessed from http:// www.citylab.com/housing/2012/10/americas-truly-densest-metros/3450/ on February 8. 2017.
• [14] Gülümser. A. A.. Baycan Levent. T.. & Nijkamp. P. (2011). Türkiye'nin kırsal yapısı: AB düzeyinde bir karşılaştırma. İTÜDERGİSİ/a. 9(2).
• [15] Lee, S., & Lee, B. (2014). The influence of urban form on GHG emissions in the US household sector. Energy Policy, 68, 534-549.
• [16] Ottensmann. J. R. (2018). On population-weighted density. Available at SSRN 3119965.
• [17] Özçağlar. A. (2016). Büyükşehir belediyeli illerde kır ve kent nüfusunun tespiti mümkün mü. TÜCAUM
• [18] TÜİK, 2021. Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu Adrese dayalı nüfus kayıt sistemi sonuçları https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Adrese-Dayali-Nufus-Kayit-Sistemi-Sonuclari-2020-37210) Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu, Ankara, Erişim tarihi: 11.05.2021