Turkey's 2050 Economic Vision and Regional Specialization Strategy
An evaluation penned by Prof. Dr. İsmail Ermağan states that in line with Turkey's economic targets for 2050, cities must be structured with a model focused on regional specialization and ecosystems.
For Turkey to rank among the world's leading economies in 2050, instead of every city trying to produce every product, it needs to adopt a development model focused on regional specialization, R&D, and technology.
Economic Expectations for the Year 2050
While PwC's 'World in 2050' study positions Turkey as the world's 11th largest economy in 2050, it reveals that this long-term success depends on institutional quality and the implementation of reforms.
Production Geography and the Role of Cities
While Istanbul's regional labor productivity is well above the national average, taking into account potential earthquake risks and regional balances, all 81 provinces are expected to discover their own strengths rather than applying the same economic model.
Economic Clustering and Ecosystem Quality
Drawing attention to the fact that traditional sources of growth are weakening in line with OECD data, the importance of building strong economic clusters that bring together universities, companies, and qualified human elements is emphasized.
Sectoral Planning by Cities
While Istanbul stands out in finance and software, Ankara will specialize in defense and aviation, Izmir in renewable energy, Bursa in automotive, and other metropolitan cities in agriculture, logistics, and advanced manufacturing.
New Generation Development Approach
The approach of opening a university or organized industrial zone in every city is leaving its place to a new era where qualified criteria such as exports, added value per employee, patent production, and the number of startups are evaluated.