RIS-Mersin Project: the first regional innovation strategy in Turkey and its spatial dimensions
RIS-Mersin Project: the first regional innovation strategy in Turkey and its spatial dimensions

Summary/Abstract: Mersin is a relatively new city in Turkey. Although it only dates back to the first decades of the 19th century, it has experienced significant changes in its urban economic structure. Being established as a port city, Mersin has been a major gate for Anatolia and Middle-East. This character has been supported by construction of a new port in 1962 and introduction of new macro-economic preferences towards export-oriented economic development in 1980, both of which not only have increased the number of foreign trade and logistics activities but also have enriched the urban economic structure with new economic activities. With the Persian Gulf Crisis in 1990 and the following embargo, however, there occurred drastic changes in local economic life of Mersin. Logistics activities started to lose their significance due to radical decreases in transactions with Middle-Eastern countries. In 2006, the first regional innovation strategy in Turkey was prepared as the end product of RIS-Mersin Project in order to change downward trends of local economy and trigger local development opportunities. The strategy depends on the idea that innovation is a key-factor for local development. The aim of this study is critical evaluation of this regional innovation strategy and its spatial dimension within the context of local development. Successes and failures of this strategy provide important lessons for other regions aiming to produce such strategies.

• Details
• Contents