A study on the historical development of the transition to the metropolitan municipality system in turkish administrative history

Bilal, Tunç (2026) A study on the historical development of the transition to the metropolitan municipality system in turkish administrative history. DUNAKAVICS, 14 (3). pp. 23-43. ISSN 2064-5007

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Abstract

This study aims to examine the historical development of municipal administration in Turkish administrative history and the transition process to the metropolitan municipal system from a comprehensive perspective. The study begins with traditional municipal practices based on local service delivery during the classical period of the Ottoman Empire and examines the modern municipal administration that emerged with the Tanzimat Era. The inadequacy of municipal services provided through institutions such as the kadı, waqf(foundation), guild, and neighborhood over time, the strengthen­ing of the centralist state structure, and increasing relations with the West paved the way for the birth of the modern municipal organization. In this context, the Istanbul City Council, established in 1855, is considered the starting point of modern municipalism in Türkiye. During the Republican Era, the concept of municipal administration was reshaped alongside the preservation of the centralized state structure; the legal and administrative framework of municipalities was defined for many years by the Municipal Law No. 1580 dated 1930. The study examines the areas of responsibility, financial structures, and democratization processes of municipalities from the early years of the Republic; it also touches upon the socialist and social municipalism practices that emerged after the 1960s. In the post-1980 period, it was found that the scope of municipal services expanded and local governments became more effective under the influence of neoliberal policies. One of the main focal points of the article is the historical development of the transition to the metropolitan municipal system in Türkiye. In this context, the constitutional basis introduced by Article 127 of the 1982 Con­stitution, the 1984 regulations, Law No. 3030, and Laws Nos. 5216 and 6360 enacted thereafter have been analyzed in terms of the institutional transfor­mation of metropolitan municipal administration. As a result, the study reveals that the metropolitan municipal system in Türkiye was shaped as a result of population growth, urbanization dynamics, and the search for service efficiency.

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