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Transformation All over Türkiye” is a project that stands out among such projects
with its additive effect on urban resilience. As part of our urban transformation
projects, a total of 3 million dwellings have been transformed to date, which
changed the appearance of cities. Again, along with this transformation, new
living areas and social equipment areas, facilities in the cities and access of
their residents to them have been increased. Today, urban transformation for
a total of 350.000 dwellings is underway as part of an eco-friendly, climate-
friendly green transformation process. With a sense of horizontal architecture,
barrier-free living, sufficient social equipment and technical infrastructure,
sustainability and preservation of the environment as well as historical and
cultural heritage, urban transformation has been underway for a total of 6.7
million dwellings over the last 20 years. Thus, the vulnerability of our cities have
been decreasing while their resilience has been constantly and consistently
increasing. Efforts to increase resilience are made through projects focusing on
transformation in line with the “Green Development Model” that Mr. President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced in the 76th UN General Assembly. In this
respect, a new model of economy called the “Green Development Model”,
which goes beyond the concept of “resilience”, which encompasses going
back to the previous state and maintaining balance.
The obligation to develop new production, urbanization, agriculture, tourism
and transportation policies in every sector entered the agenda of our country
thanks to this new development model. In addition to disasters, one of the
most important reasons for adopting this model is the wish to reach 2053 Net
Zero Emission Goal through policies on adaption to and fight against global
climate change. As part of the Zero Waste and Zero Waste Blue Projects that
we initiated under the auspices of Honorable Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, are among
our important studies that should be mentioned in terms of achieving this
goal. Building cities that are resilient to climate change show that there is a
really close relationship between climate change and the concept of resilience
in terms of their mutual effects and results. This means that this relationship
should not be overlooked. Taking all these points into consideration, it appears
that practices towards urban transformation as well as towards a transition to
green development model will not only increase resilience, but also ready our
cities and nation for the circumstances of the new age. I would like to thank
our respectable academicians who have shared their studies, ideas, views, and
opinions devotedly under the title “resilient cities”, and all my fellow staff for
their contribution to the making of this journal.

Murat KURUM
Republic of Türkiye Minister of Environment,
Urbanization and Climate Change

Year 1 / Issue 2 / July 2022 IX