Türkiye plans to expand shelter constructions with tightened rules
ANKARA
Türkiye has revised and tightened its regulations on civilian shelters, introducing mandatory shelter construction in newly built residential buildings above a certain size, as well as in stadiums and various public facilities, according to a regulation published in the Official Gazette on Nov. 7.
“We have updated our shelter regulations to align them with current needs and conditions,” the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry said on Nov. 7, noting that the work — carried out in cooperation with 44 institutions and organizations — was completed within six months.
Under the amendment, newly constructed buildings will be required to include shelters according to capacity.
Residential buildings with more than 10 housing units, as well as dormitories, barracks and hotels with more than 50 beds, will be obligated to build shelters.
Similarly, facilities such as long-term care homes for the disabled, elderly or children and inpatient healthcare institutions with more than 25 beds will be required to incorporate protected spaces to be used in emergencies.
New stadiums and similar indoor or outdoor sports venues with a spectator capacity of 5,000 or more must also include shelters.
New metro tunnels will be designed as public shelters under planning guidelines.
In urban gardens with an area of at least 15,000 square meters, underground public shelters must be constructed with “camouflaged entrances,” covering at least 3 percent of the total area, the new regulation said.
In shopping malls or cultural centers, parking facilities, basement-level cinemas, theaters and conference halls may be repurposed as shelters.
The regulation additionally obliged state-media network TRT to take necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted broadcasting from shelters across the country.
A provisional article requires local authorities to complete inspections of all existing public or private shelters within one year.
In September, Türkiye’s National Intelligence Academy (MİA) urged the authorities to enhance its civil defense infrastructure — particularly shelters and early warning systems — to prepare for threats.
In its report on the Iran-Israel 12-day air war, the academy underlined that Iran’s inadequate shelter infrastructure contributed to civilian casualties in several cities, including the capital Tehran. In contrast, Israel’s robust civil defense infrastructure helped mitigate similar losses.
At that time, several Turkish reports said state-run housing agency TOKİ would build modern shelters in all 81 provinces.
