Linking Urban Transport and Livability: A GIS-Integrated Multicriteria Decision-Making Evaluation in Kanarya İstanbul

The Copenhagen 10-step method is a set of policies that originated in the 1950s to reduce vehicle traffic in Copenhagen, which was heavily impacted by traffic. These policies are incorporated into a different dynamic on a global scale every day and are adopted while maintaining relevance. These policies, advocated in the context of climate change and carbon emission targets, as well as livability and health-focused urbanization, justice, and accessibility in transportation, are criticized for potentially negatively affecting low-income groups and commercializing urban transformation. Furthermore, they require adaptation because their applicability is seen as limited in terms of localization. In this context, the adaptability of the method to different social and spatial contexts has become a critical research topic, particularly in local studies, where application is more important and the order of implementation becomes of great importance. Within the scope of this study, a Copenhagen 10-step prioritization study was conducted specifically for the Küçükçekmece Kanarya Neighborhood, where low-to-middle socioeconomic groups live, and which has been declared a risky area in terms of building stock. Accordingly, a two-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, transportation and planning experts were asked to prioritize the 10 steps, and the timing of each implementation was determined based on the resulting ranking. In the second phase, accessibility analyses for the region were conducted using GIS (Geographical Information Systems)-based spatial data, such as accessibility, slope, and the distribution of urban facilities. Subsequently, these two phases were combined to create a simple prioritization framework for the areas of greatest concern in Kanarya, as well as for urban renewal, transportation, and government investment plans. According to the SWARA results, increasing bicycle use (C10) was the most important criterion at 17.2%, followed by making the bicycle the primary mode of transportation (C9) at 13.8% and adapting the city to seasonal changes (C8) at 11.5%. This study, which is significant for its focus on a specific region at the local implementation level, presents a straightforward model—based on concrete findings—for prioritizing sustainable transportation and urbanization policies in socioeconomically vulnerable areas. In doing so, it contributes to aligning theoretical approaches with practical field applications.