Earthquake-risk buildings in Istanbul are being forced into urban transformation

While the possible Marmara earthquake remains on the agenda in Istanbul, thousands of buildings in the city need to undergo urban transformation without delay.

According to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) data, the number of applications received by the municipality for rapid screening tests reached 170 thousand. Within the scope of these applications, 40 thousand buildings were examined.

In the examinations, 18 thousand 800 buildings built before 1999 were found to be high and very high risk.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Head of Earthquake Risk Management Murat Yün stated that Istanbul was not ready for an earthquake and that there were 1,238 buildings in the city that were expected to collapse spontaneously.

Yün stated that as the reality of the earthquake was forgotten, applications for rapid screening tests decreased significantly.

Stating that thousands of applications came to IMM in a day after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, Yün gave the following information about the number of applications:

"- In February, when the 2023 earthquakes occurred, we received 122 thousand applications in one day. In the ongoing month of March, we received 30 thousand applications. Now, as time has passed since the earthquake, we have around 500-600 monthly applications."

Murat Yün, Head of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Earthquake Risk Management, said that as a result of the rapid scanning, official procedures were initiated in approximately 3 thousand buildings and evacuations began.

Avcılar, Zeytinburnu, Bağcılar and Bahçelievler are among the districts with the highest density of risky buildings.

Although applications have decreased, there are hundreds of homeowners living in old buildings who want to undergo urban transformation.

Apartment residents living in a 48-year-old building in Bakırköy are among those who decided on urban transformation.

One of the residents of the apartment stated that they started the transformation process after the cracks in the building and said, "Some had plaster cracks, some had cracks on their balconies. We started this work with their decision." he said.