“It is necessary not only to replace the collapsed buildings, but also to re-plan cities based on scientific data, such as not building on faultlines and learning from past mistakes,” said Esin Koymen, former head of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. ” Architects.
“The first priority is the new plan, not the new building.”
more than 1 million homeless
The earthquake on 6 February, which also affected neighboring Syria, left more than a million homeless and killed far more than the latest official count of 46,000 in both countries.
They ravaged southern Turkey in late winter, where overnight temperatures were near freezing, making many emergency tents inadequate for the homeless. More than 2 million others have evacuated the region that was home to more than 13 million.
The earthquakes revealed the fragility of Turkey’s infrastructure, experts said, devastating both modern and ancient buildings including hospitals, mosques, churches and schools.
Some now worry that the government’s ambitious deadline leaves little time to right past mistakes.
“When they say ‘we start construction in a month, we finish it in a year’, without city planning work, clearly, it means the disaster we are facing. has been ignored,” said Nusrat Suna, Chamber of Civil Engineers.
“City plans take months to make… It’s very wrong to ignore those plans.”
Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said last week that the government would consider detailed geological surveys in its city reconstruction plans, and tenders would be held.
“Friendly Companies”
US bank JP Morgan said in a report that the bill for rebuilding homes, transmission lines and infrastructure is about $25 billion, or 2.5% of GDP. Another report by trade union Turkfed estimated the loss to housing at $70.8 billion.
And analysts say the cost could exceed initial estimates.
In his more than 20 years in power, Erdogan used major real estate projects to showcase Turkey’s growing prosperity. Public and private construction has boosted jobs and new housing stock, and helped his opinion poll rating.