After the Earthquake: Building Resilient Apartments

Following the devastating earthquake that struck the Marmara region on August 17, 1999, Turkey has spent the past 26 years intensively working to reduce disaster risks and rebuild urban areas, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change announced.

In coordination with the ministry, the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) has overseen the construction of hundreds of thousands of new housing units all over the country, Anadolu Agency reports. Over the past 23 years, the ministry has invested a total of 6.2 billion lira in projects related to urban planning and environmental protection.

According to TOKİ data, 1,292,270 earthquake-resistant housing units have been built nationwide. Additionally, 63,596 public facilities, including schools, hospitals, and cultural centers, have been completed, while another 396,686 apartments are currently under construction.

Projects carried out in high-risk construction zones have covered millions of housing units. Through support measures such as rental assistance, property acquisitions, design services, and interest subsidies, the government has aimed to reconstruct buildings in earthquake-prone areas and to raise modern urban development standards.

Under the coordination of the Directorate for Urban Transformation, activities are currently underway in 291 risk zones and 1,063 designated reserve construction areas.

Since 2012, approximately 2,317,000 housing units have been included in the nationwide urban transformation program.