6 tln Turkish Liras invested in quake-resistant cities over 23 years
ANKARA
The Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry has poured a total of 6.218 trillion liras ($152.401.960.784) into disaster resilience projects over the past 23 years, transforming urban areas to better withstand earthquakes and other calamities.
According to the ministry data, efforts to mitigate disaster risks have intensified since the 1999 Marmara Earthquake, with a focus on urban renewal across the country.
Through the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), hundreds of thousands of new homes have been built, supported by social facilities to create safer living spaces.
In risk zones and reserved building areas, millions of units have entered the transformation process.
Supports, including rent assistance, project funding, expropriation, service procurement and interest subsidies, have aided the renewal of outdated structures while advancing modern urban standards.
TOKİ has constructed 1.292 million earthquake-resistant homes nationwide, along with 63,596 social facilities.
Construction continues on another 396,686 units.
Since 2012, about 2.317 million independent units have been included in renewal efforts.
To date, roughly 187 billion lira has been allocated for aid like rent support, project implementation, expropriation, services and interest subsidies.
Renewal of housing stock has emphasized Istanbul, where 923,000 units have been transformed since 2012, with 208,915 more underway.
In social housing campaigns, Istanbul received 6,305 units in the 50,000 Homes initiative, 10,820 in the 100,000 Homes drive and 50,210 in the 250,000 Homes program.
Overall, TOKİ has planned 155,663 homes for Istanbul, delivering 88,213 so far.
Due to the Feb. 6 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes affecting 11 provinces, construction of 67,450 units was delayed, but most are now nearing completion.
