İklim Değişikliği Karşısında Sağlıklı ve Sürdürülebilir Şehirlerin Teşvik Edilmesinde Yerel Yönetimlerin Rolü: Kocaeli Örneği

Climate change is one of the most urgent problems of the 21st century and has significant impacts on cities and urban life. In this context, local governments play an important role in the implementation of sustainability and environmental adaptation policies. In this study, the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality was analyzed in order to evaluate the impact of its policies in promoting healthy and sustainable cities. The main purpose of this research is to examine how political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors affect the planning and implementation of local climate strategies in Kocaeli province. For this purpose, the PESTEL analytical framework, which allows the categorization and evaluation of different elements affecting municipal administration, was used. In the study, a qualitative approach based on documentary analysis was adopted in terms of methodology. The Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality 2025-2029 Strategic Plan was used as the main data source, and content analysis techniques were applied in the classification of municipal strategies according to the six dimensions of the PESTEL model. The findings show that Kocaeli has developed sound policies that emphasize the development of healthy and sustainable urban strategies in political, economic, social, technological and environmental areas. However, the detection of a lower representation rate in the legal dimension indicates that the regulatory framework regarding climate change and urban regulations should be strengthened. When compared with other international and national cities, similarities emerge in terms of participatory governance and sustainable infrastructure development, while the legal framework needs to be improved in terms of the environment. The Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Strategic Plan 2025-2029 reflects a significant commitment to urban sustainability, but its long-term success depends on the strengthening of its legal framework and the consolidation of more advanced technological strategies. In the future, researchers can investigate the real impact of these policies on the quality of life of citizens and evaluate quantitative measurements to measure their effectiveness. In addition, it is recommended that those responsible for public policies make legal regulations and integrate control mechanisms more in order to ensure compliance with strategic goals.