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Urban Transformation in Istanbul Within the Scope of Disaster
Preparedness

As a result of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit on 17.08.1999 with its
epicenter in Gölcük District of Kocaeli Province, 18,373 of our citizens lost their
lives and 48,901 of our citizens were injured (AFAD, 2022:108). According to
the Performance Audit Report on the Activities of Ministry of Public Works and
Settlement After the Marmara and Düzce Earthquakes published in 2002, the
total cost of the earthquake, in which 376,379 houses and businesses were
damaged, was determined by the State Planning Organization as 15-19 billion
dollars. The disaster, which directly or indirectly affected about 16,000,000
people, necessitated a major change in Türkiye’s social, economic, political
policies and especially in zoning and settlement. It became an important
breaking point in terms of inspection, planning and urban transformation
studies aimed at eliminating the disaster risk, especially in İstanbul (Ministry of
Public Works and Settlement, 2002: 85).
The Council of Ministers were authorized to issue Decrees on establishing
new safe settlements, creating a new insurance system, forming new provinces
and districts and metropolitan municipalities in the region affected by the
earthquake as well as ensuring coordination and cooperation between relevant
institutions and organizations regarding the “The Authorization Law on the
Measures to be Taken against Natural Disasters and the Arrangements to be
Made for the Elimination of Damages Caused by Disasters” No. 4452 dated
27.08.1999 that enacted for quick response to the devastating destruction after
the earthquake. Subsequently, due to the heavy and uncontrolled operation
of the building inspection system, certain amendments were made in this
area, and thus the Decree Law No. 595 on Building Inspection was enacted
on 10.04.2000 which was followed by the Law No. 4708 on Building Inspection
on 29.06.2021 in order to ensure an effective and efficient building inspection
system planned to be implemented in 27 pilot provinces by independent,
experienced, competent responsible persons and organizations. Within this
framework, building inspection organizations, architects and engineers of these
organizations, laboratory assistants and building contractors were assigned
with responsibility in proportion to their faults, and the period of responsibility
for the load-bearing systems of structures were increased to 15 years.
While the legal process describe above was ongoing after 1999 earthquake,
the concepts of “urban transformation and development project area”
included in Law No.5393 enacted in 2005 and “renewal area” specified in
Law No.5366 paved the way for many spatial implementations. Moreover,
Article 73 of Municipal Law No. 5393 was amended with the regulation
dated 2010, and definition of urban transformation and development area
was expanded as “zoned or non-zoned areas with or without structure on
it” aiming to increase the number of areas to be intervened. In addition,

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