Türkiye speeds up urban redevelopment ahead of Feb 6 anniversary

ISTANBUL

Marking the approaching anniversary of the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes, Türkiye has implemented a key new regulation that significantly revises its urban transformation policies, aiming to expedite the renewal of seismically risky buildings and strengthen urban areas against upcoming disasters.

Under the new regulation introduced by the Urban Transformation Presidency, the decision-making process can now be initiated by just one property owner.

If a simple majority of ownership shares agrees on demolition or redevelopment, that decision becomes binding.

Owners who oppose the decision but fail to act within the specified time frame may see their ownership shares sold through a state-managed process, either to other owners or, if no buyer is found, to public institutions.

Once a risky building is demolished and the land becomes a vacant plot, public authorities will have priority rights to purchase the land.

If dissenting owners do not review or accept redevelopment offers within 15 days of notification, their shares can be auctioned at no less than market value.

Urban transformation is the legal and administrative procedure that involves demolishing unsafe or outdated buildings—particularly those vulnerable to earthquakes—and reconstructing them in compliance with current seismic safety standards.

The policy has been a cornerstone of Türkiye’s disaster risk reduction strategy for over a decade, but its urgency increased dramatically after the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes.

The twin tremors struck Türkiye’s 11 southern provinces, beginning with a 7.7 magnitude tremor in the early hours and followed by a second 7.6 magnitude earthquake later the same day.

More than 53,700 people lost their lives, while over 13.5 million were impacted.

Beyond the immense human toll, the earthquakes shattered entire neighborhoods and infrastructure, with debris removal alone taking months.

In the aftermath, rebuilding became not only a recovery effort but also a test case for how Türkiye might prevent similar losses in the future.

Urban transformation has since been framed as a matter of public safety rather than a purely property-based process.

Speaking at an event in Istanbul, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum said officials are working day and night to revive the earthquake zone as soon as possible.

Recalling the post-earthquake reconstruction effort, Kurum said Türkiye had completed 455,000 housing units across the disaster zone in a remarkably short time, describing it as an unprecedented global achievement.

He emphasized that the experience gained in the earthquake region should now be applied nationwide, particularly in Istanbul, which faces high seismic risk.

“Urban transformation is not just a technical planning issue,” Kurum said, stressing that it must also address social inclusion, economic accessibility and disaster preparedness.

Building on this vision, the minister called on municipalities to work more closely with the central government to accelerate transformation projects.