Page 220 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 4

Urban Transformation in Istanbul Within the Scope of Disaster
Preparedness

In the meetings conducted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly
Earthquake Research Commission in 2020, it was declared that 71 percent of
the population in Türkiye and 66 percent of the country’s territory are under
the risk of earthquakes (www.haber7.com, 2023). There is a serious earthquake
risk in the Marmara Region, which is located on this earthquake belt and is
the most developed region of our country in the industrial and service sector.
İstanbul, one of the most important trade and service centers of the world
located in the Marmara Region and as a locomotive in the export sector of
our country, met alone approximately 49 percent of Türkiye’s export volume in
2022 while this ratio increased to around 51% in the first four months of 2023
(TÜİK, 2023). Moreover, considering that almost a fifth of the population of our
country lives in İstanbul, it is not very difficult to predict the loss of life that may
be caused by a possible İstanbul earthquake. Given these rates, it is possible
to say that the possible earthquake will have an impact not only throughout
the area it affects, but also regionally and even nationally. In the Report of
Strategy and Budget Directorate of the Presidency on 2023 Kahramanmaraş
and Hatay Earthquakes (2023:8), it was expressed that, in addition to severe
losses of lives in the 11 provinces affected by the earthquake, the physical
capital damaged was quite costly, and more than five hundred thousand
houses were destroyed or suffered material damage, indicating that the cost
of earthquakes to the economy was 103.6 billion dollars. The report noted
that the damage caused by the earthquake is six times more than the 1999
Marmara Earthquake, and predicted that the total burden of the earthquake
on the Turkish economy may reach to 9% of national income of 2023.
Furthermore, it is estimated that the losses in the provinces affected by
the Kahramanmaraş-based earthquakes will have significant and long-term
negative effects on the country’s economy, and the amount to be spent over
a 5-year period to redevelop the region will reach approximately $ 150 billion
(www.tepav.org.tr, 2023).
As asserted by the studies, an earthquake with a magnitude of more than 7.0
is expected in İstanbul after the 1999 Marmara Earthquake (AFAD, 2022:174).
In this regard, it is obvious that the economic and social losses that İstanbul,
a globally important metropolis, will suffer from a possible earthquake will
damage the dynamics of both the country and the region. It is inevitable that
the effects of a devastating earthquake that may occur in this region will not
only remain at the regional level, but also cause significant damage to the
country’s economy at a level that will pose a security problem.
The major disasters hit our country have been effective in reconsidering
the legal legislation, and various issues have been regulated by many new
Laws and Regulations in order to address the deficiencies and requirements

Year 2 / Issue 4 / July 2023 209