Bu çalışmanın amacı, ekomüze ve sakin şehir (cittaslow) kavramlarının benzer politikalar üzerine inşa edildiği varsayımından hareketle sakin şehirlerin ekomüze olma potansiyelini araştırmaktadır. Müzecilik anlayışının dönüşümüyle ortaya çıkan ekomüzeler, kültürel mirasın korunmasını ve yerel toplulukların aktif katılımını esas alan sürdürülebilir kültürel alanlardır. Sakin şehir hareketi ise yerel kimliği, gelenekleri ve sürdürülebilir yaşam biçimlerini destekleyerek, bölgesel kalkınmayı teşvik eden bir model sunmaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu çalışmada, ekomüze ile sakin şehir kavramları arasındaki ortak noktalar tespit edilerek İç Anadolu’nun ilk ve tek sakin şehri Güdül halkına anket uygulanmış ve Güdül’ün ekomüze olabilme potansiyeli için bir model önerisi sunulmuştur. Ekomüzelerin oluşumunda paydaş katılımının gerekliliği ve önemi dikkate alınarak uygulanan anketle Güdül’de yaşayan yerel halkın ekomüze bilgi düzeyleri ve ekomüzenin doğal, tarihi, kültürel unsurlarına katılım düzeyleri sosyodemografik değişkenler bağlamında ölçülmüştür. Araştırmada ekomüze bilgi düzeylerinde cinsiyete göre bir farklılık oluşmadığı, 18-24 yaş grubunda olan katılımcılardan eğitim seviyesi lise ve üniversite olanların ve kamu görevlilerinin ekomüze bilgi düzeylerinin diğer gruplara göre daha yüksek olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ekomüzenin doğal, tarihi ve kültürel unsurları incelendiğinde ise erkek katılımcıların doğal çekicilik unsuruna katılma düzeyinin kadın katılımcılardan daha yüksek olduğu, 18-24 yaş arası katılımcıların diğer yaş gruplarına kıyasla ekomüze unsurlarına daha fazla ilgi gösterdiği, eğitim durumu açısından ortaokul seviyesindeki katılımcıların ekomüze ve doğal, tarihi, kültürel unsurlara katılım düzeylerinin yüksek olduğu, meslek grupları açısından ise, kamu görevlisi olan katılımcıların ekomüze unsurlarına katılma düzeylerinin diğer meslek gruplarındaki katılımcılara göre daha yüksek olduğu görülmüştür.

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of slow cities to become ecomuseums, based on the assumption that the concepts of ecomuseum and slow city (cittaslow) are built on similar policies. Ecomuseums, which emerged with the transformation of the concept of museums, are sustainable cultural areas that are based on the protection of cultural heritage and the active participation of local communities. The slow city movement, on the other hand, offers a model that encourages regional development by supporting local identity, traditions and sustainable lifestyles. Therefore, in this study, common points between the concepts of ecomuseum and slow city were determined, a survey was conducted on the people of Güdül, the first and only slow city in Central Anatolia, and a model proposal was presented for Güdül's potential to become an ecomuseum.

When the international literature is examined, it is mentioned in Ohara's (1998) study that there were ecomuseum plans in Japan in a very short time, how each community should be and in which direction they will progress. In Maggi and Falletti's (2000) study, interviews were conducted with more than 200 European and Italian museum curators. The relationship between the ecomuseum and society or local development and the vision for the future has been discussed. Davis (2004) in his study, by adopting the philosophy of the ecomuseum in Japan, analyzes the roles of Hirano, Asahi, Miura ecomuseums and questions their democratic structures. Corsane, Davis, Elliott, Maggi, Murtas, and Rogers (2007) examined the philosophies of the ecomuseum. Davis (2009) emphasized how important the new museum approach is in hearing local communities. Borelli and Davis (2012) in their study interpreted the relationship between nature and culture and defined the basic characteristics of ecomuseums. Liu and Lee's (2015) study is based on the analysis of Houtong Coal Mine Ecological Park, Daxi Wood Art Ecomuseum, and Togo Art Museum. They explain the mechanisms of the development of ecomuseums in Taiwan. Jie, Corsane, Liangliang, Xiao, Yufeng, and Yali (2018) discussed the possibility of the ecomuseum approach and discussed the potential impacts on heritage conservation and management in China. Chen and Chen (2022) aimed to provide a better experience in museums by using augmented reality (AR) technology to increase the visitor impact of ecomuseums. Pavlis (2024) aimed to conduct comprehensive recording and evaluation, which has not been done so far, by considering Greek ecomuseums. Li and Selim (2024) addressed the difficulties in the current practical approach of ecomuseums in China in their study. There are studies by Gollo et al. (2025) arguing that ecomuseums constitute a valuable approach to sustainable land management and tourism. When the national literature is examined, there are studies on the sustainability of the concept of ecomuseum (Doğan, 2010; Şen et al., 2020; Çetin, 2021; Göz,2021; Kırbaç and Bucak,2022; Göz and Güneröz, 2023), determining the potential of ecomuseum (Turgut, 2020; Yıldız, 2020), ensuring sustainability and transforming into an ecomuseum (Sönmez, 2020), the applicability of ecomuseums in the protected area and its surroundings (Erdoğan and Belen, 2017), and establishing an ecomuseum in historical and cultural environments (Aşan, 2023).

In the study, the survey scale developed in the master's thesis titled “A Sustainable Destination Focused on Ecomuseum and an Application on Gökçeada” prepared by Doğan (2010) was used in this study with the permission of the author because it includes statements about ecomuseum and has high reliability. The survey measures the level of knowledge of local people living in Güdül district about ecomuseum and their participation in natural, historical and cultural elements of ecomuseum around sociodemographic variables. The first part includes 4 demographic questions, and the second part includes 14 statements evaluating the relationship between the concept of ecomuseum and tourism, local people and cultural heritage values. The research universe consists of 7180 people over the age of 18 living in Güdül district of Ankara (TÜİK, 2022). In the selection of the sample, it was based on the information that a sample group of 364 people could be selected from clusters of size N to determine the appropriate sample volume as stated by Arıkan (2017, pp. 133-134). The general screening model was used as the sampling method. Of the 441 surveys applied, 13 surveys with incomplete information and 2 surveys with duplicate answers were not evaluated and 428 valid surveys were evaluated for analysis.

As a result of the study, it was determined that both cultural heritage and regional development could be protected by developing an ecomuseum model in regions with a quiet city status such as Güdül. The analyzes conducted measure the level of knowledge of the local people about the ecomuseum and their participation in the natural history and cultural elements of the ecomuseum around sociodemographic variables. Based on this situation, it was concluded that the level of knowledge about the ecomuseum did not differ by gender, that the ecomuseum knowledge levels of the participants in the 18-24 age group were higher than the participants in the higher age group; that the ecomuseum knowledge levels of the participants with high school and university education were higher than the participants with primary school education; that the ecomuseum knowledge levels of the participants working as public servants were higher than the participants working in the positions specified as tradesmen, farmers, housewives and others. The ecomuseum potentials of the districts of Doğan (2010) Çanakkale/Gökçeada, Çetin (2021) Çanakkale/Bozcaada, Göz (2021) Karaman/Ayrancı were discussed. However, no study has been found on the potential of quiet cities to become an ecomuseum. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the potential of establishing an ecomuseum in quiet cities in the Güdül quiet city sample, based on the assumption that there are many intersections between the quiet city and ecomuseum criteria. Güdül is one of the districts of the capital Ankara, which stands out with its historical and natural riches but has not yet been discovered by the masses in Anatolia. It has become more well-known in the local press after receiving the title of quiet city in 2019. It was also selected within the scope of this research because it is the first district in the Central Anatolia Region to have this title. Considering the necessity and importance of stakeholder participation in the basis of eco-museums, this study conducted analyses with face-to-face surveys conducted in the district in the context of the socio-demographic variables of the local people of Güdül. It is thought that the study can be an example for other quiet cities, pioneer the development of new perspectives on how such practices can be shaped in different geographies, and thus contribute to both the gap in the literature and the sustainability of tourism.

This study aims to fill an important gap in the literature by contributing to the limited number of studies on the integration of the concepts of eco-museum and slow city. The evaluation made in Güdül can also serve as an example for other slow cities and contribute to the development of new perspectives on how such practices can be shaped in different geographies. In the future, more field studies on the combined applicability of these two concepts and the creation of models that can be adapted to different regions will provide significant benefits in terms of tourism sustainability and regional development.