The Turkish government intends to enhance the resilience of Türkiye’s megacity against disasters, primarily earthquakes.
“Our focus is on rendering Istanbul resilient to various disasters, particularly earthquakes,” Mehmet Özhaseki, Türkiye’s Environment and Urbanisation minister, said on his Twitter account.
He said, “Our urban transformation efforts in Istanbul will persist without any deceleration.”
The minister expressed plans to revitalize the unsound building inventory in Istanbul as part of the urban transformation endeavor. Özhaseki implied that the inhabitants of the nearly 16-million-people city will have a significant role in contributing to the transformation efforts.
“We are committed,” he added, sharing a video of newly built homes.
İstanbul'u deprem başta olmak üzere afetlere dirençli hâle getireceğiz❗️
📌Kâğıthane Yahya Kemal Mahallesi'ndeki kentsel dönüşümle; 688 konutumuzu, çevre düzenlemesi ve çocuk oyun alanlarını da tamamlayarak vatandaşlarımıza teslim ettik. Güle güle otursunlar.
İstanbul’daki… pic.twitter.com/pmUNCZMJ30
— Mehmet Özhaseki (@mehmetozhaseki) August 15, 2023
As part of the project, designated areas for residential construction have been identified across the city.
Under this initiative, a total of 350,000 homes will be constructed, with 200,000 on the European side and 150,000 on the Anatolian side.
Kahramanmaraş-centric earthquakes resulted in over 50,000 fatalities and the destruction of numerous structures.
With the ongoing reconstruction efforts in earthquake-affected cities, attention has shifted to Istanbul, where a magnitude 7 earthquake is anticipated.
Dilapidated buildings in Istanbul are being replaced with safer structures, and newly completed residences are being handed over to entitled residents.
Breaking News Turkey