The book “Disaster and Resilience: Social and Spatial Perspectives” has been published as a comprehensive academic work that approaches disasters not merely as processes of physical destruction, but as multidimensional phenomena shaped by social structure, space, governance, and inequality. Edited by Prof. Dr. Zafer Çelik, Head of the Department of Sociology at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alkan Üstün from the Department of Sociology at Bartın University; and Mesut Arslan, Research Assistant at the AYBÜ Department of Sociology, the volume discusses resilience to disasters in a multidimensional manner through contributions from various disciplines within the social sciences.
One of the chapters in the book is authored by faculty members of the Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Department of Sociology. Written by Dr. Bahattin Cizreli, Research Assistant Mesut Arslan, and Lecturer Dr. Murat Öztürk, the chapter titled “Environmental Justice and Solid Waste Management: The Social Impacts of the Trabzon Araklı Integrated Solid Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility and the Demands of the Local Population” examines disaster and environmental management through the lens of environmental justice.
The study investigates the environmental, social, economic, and health-related impacts of the integrated solid waste facility operating in the Araklı district of Trabzon through a qualitative field research design. Based on in-depth interviews with local residents, village heads, municipal representatives, and civil society actors, the chapter focuses on issues such as odor problems, water and soil pollution, public health risks, property-related conflicts, and the lack of public participation in decision-making processes. The research emphasizes that solid waste management policies should be addressed not only through technical solutions but also through a participatory, transparent, and just governance framework.
Published by İdealKent Publications, the book contributes to contemporary debates on building resilient cities and communities in the face of disasters. Within this broader framework, the contribution of the AYBÜ Department of Sociology stands out as a significant academic reference that makes visible the relationship between environmental justice, local demands, and public policy.
