Assessing Rural Landscape Change Within the Planning and Management Framework: The Case of Topaktaş Village (Van, Turkiye)

Abstract

Rural landscapes are changing rapidly, yet many assessments remain descriptive and weakly connected to planning instruments. This study connects rural landscape analysis with planning and management by examining post-earthquake transformations in Topakta & scedil; (Tu & scedil;ba, Van), a village redesigned and relocated after the 2011 events. Using ArcGIS 10.8 and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we integrate DEM, slope, aspect, CORINE land cover Plus, surface-water presence/seasonality, and proximity to hazards (active and surface-rupture faults) and infrastructure (Karasu Stream, highways, village roads). A risk overlay is treated as a hard constraint. We produce suitability maps for settlement, agriculture, recreation, and industry; derive a composite optimum land-use surface; and translate outputs into decision rules (e.g., a 0-100 m fault no-build setback, riparian buffers, and slope thresholds) with an outline for implementation and monitoring. Key findings show legacy footprints at lower elevations, while new footprints cluster near the upper elevation band (DEM range 1642-1735 m). Most of the area exhibits 0-3% slopes, supporting low-impact access where hazards are manageable; however, several newly designated settlement tracts conflict with risk and water-service conditions. Although limited to a single case and available data resolutions, the workflow is transferable: it moves beyond mapping to actionable planning instruments-zoning overlays, buffers, thresholds, and phased management-supporting sustainable, culturally informed post-earthquake reconstruction.