Utilization of Ecological Performance Indicators in Urban Planning and Process Modeling: A Case Study of Ankara, Türki̇ye

Ecological performance is defined as the value derived from assessing the impacts of human activities on urban ecology through specific indicators and their integrated evaluation. This study aims to analyze the combined effects of urban development on ecological indicators in Ankara by developing an environmental performance model. Spatial and quantitative analysis techniques were applied on an indicator basis, and relative integrated impacts were identified. The primary indicators—groundwater recharge, surface runoff potential, flood risk, sediment management, urban heat island effect, carbon storage, and air quality—were analyzed using measurement techniques and integrated through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). To formulate landscape conservation, development, and management strategies, a two-stage clustering technique was employed. The results indicated that the lowest integrated ecological performance, representing the most fragile landscapes, is observed in the southern Keçiören, southeastern Yenimahalle, Ostim Organized Industrial Zone, northeastern Çankaya, southwestern Mamak, and the ASO 1st Organized Industrial Zone in Sincan. The proposed performance model can be adapted to other cities, though the choice of primary indicators and data resolution depends on ecological and physical conditions as well as study scale. Applied prior to urban development decisions, this model helps integrate ecological and geographical characteristics into planning, thereby supporting the design of high-performance urban strategies rather than reactive measures after problems occur. The key contribution lies in evaluating not only individual indicators but their integrated value, emphasizing the need to examine the city as a system.