Turkey’s first ‘super town’ to be built in Eskişehir

ESKİŞEHİR – Doğan News Agency

An energy-efficient “super town” being constructed in the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir will be an “example” for Turkey of progressive and innovative urban planning, according to the city’s mayor.

Speaking at a press meeting held to introduce the project on April 6, Eskişehir Mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen said the town “aims to shed light on the next 50 years of Eskişehir with its zoning plans.” 

The project, carried out by the Eskişehir municipality under the authorization of the Environment Ministry, aims to create an entirely new urban area with a population of 75,000. 

Initiated in 2014, the project involves a disaster-risk region project and a gentrification project in the Gündoğdu neighborhood, which encompasses the Porsuk area of the province.

“Initially the Environment Ministry had assumed the ‘super town’ plan, which will be Eskişehir’s second satellite town. In early 2014, Istanbul Technical University undertook the plan, which falls in both the ministry’s and the municipality’s remit. The plan, which was prepared based on scientific research and contemporary urban concepts, has reached its end,” said Büyükerşen.

 “The ‘super town’ will encompass an 838-hectare area located in the Kocakır region, south of the city [Eskişehir]. The town will have 18,775 houses, 1,342 trade buildings, most of which being offices, a hospital, a cultural center, 42 family health centers, schools and social areas along with 41 square-meters-per-person of green areas. There will also be 36-square-meter-per-house gardens where people can grow vegetables and fruit. Carbon emission will be reduced by 94.3 percent with the solar panels to be places on roofs and with the solar fields, which will produce 24.5 megawatts of energy in total. Water purification and rainwater collecting systems will be set up in the buildings and these will provide irrigation. Garbage will be recycled to produce energy,” said Büyükerşen, giving details about the project which will also be presented at the Expo 2016 in Antalya.

As part of the project, Büyükerşen said the villages of Kayapınar and South Çağlan will be relocated to the south of the “super town,” which will have transportation provided by electrical and hybrid busses.