Identification of Planning Region with Deductive Approach: The Case of Trabzon-Vakfıkebir

The existing definitions of the region have become obsolete in the context of 21st-century understanding, and the concept of region alone has become inadequate for defining an area. This shift has precipitated the development of new perspectives on the region in theoretical and practical regional science. The scope of this study is to determine the boundaries of the planning region in the regional context of the Vakfıkebir district, which is one of the settlements located near the border of Trabzon providence, and which was determined as a sample area. The determination of boundaries was conducted through the prioritisation of spatial proximities and porosity principles within the region, which is regarded as a territorial entity. This approach entailed the juxtaposition of local units with a deductive approach. Similarity discussions/studies were carried out in the context of all districts of Trabzon and Giresun provinces. Within the scope of the data set compiled from relevant institutions/organizations in social, economic, political and spatial dimensions, the territorial/scale similar settlement classes of Vakfıkebir were determined through cluster analysis method. The results obtained were interpreted, and Vakfıkebir's primary and secondary "Identical Region" was defined. In this context, in order to contribute to the production of realistic and feasible regional development and development policies in regional planning practice, a context-oriented approach was envisaged in which the hierarchical, fixed structure of the region and the existence of vertical relations were revealed.