Erdoğan Bayraktar, the Minister of Environment and Urban Planning, who participated in the opening of City Thought Center established by the Municipality of Esenler, noted that the whole Istanbul must be dealt with and it needs urban transformation. Esenler Municipality established “City Thought Center for creation of urban identity by implementation of social, cultural, physical and urban transformation project for the borough. The Center was opened with a ceremony attended by the Minister of Environment and Urban Planning Erdoğan Bayraktar, AK Parti Istanbul Deputy Nureddin Nebati, Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu and Esenler Mayor Tevfik Göksu. In his speech, the Minister Bayraktar focused on urban transformation. Bayraktar reminded that industrialization started in 1950s in Turkey and there is skewed accumulation in metropolitans and we lost control of large cities such as Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara and Diyarbakır. Erdoğan Bayraktar responded to the criticism against its political party and asserted that there were observed urbanization movements, residence production and urban transformation during recent ten years in an unequaled manner in history of the republic. Bayraktar especially emphasized the urban transformation and stated that about 6,5 million houses in Turkey are risky buildings located on earthquake lines. Bayraktar noted that Turkey achieved a big development both in political and economic terms and added that “Besides all these developments, we have to renew the stock of building structures in our cities. Only then, we can become a really developed country. We embarked on this work and assumed responsibility. We need everyone; support of everyone. We must get to grips with this work in cooperation with all the actors in this business, whether non-political or suprapolitical, all disciplines, especially municipalities, non-governmental organizations, engineering companies, universities, the dissident parties. This is a duty of humanity,” Bayraktar talked about new disaster law and stated that they accepted right of life and right of living as main principle of the law. Bayraktar stated that about whole Istanbul must be dealt with and noted that urban transformation is a need. Erdoğan Bayraktar stated that boasting is unnecessary and noted that this project will be realized in a particular time period under current opportunities. Bayraktar stated that they make a plan of 20 years for this.
Reference: Vatan Emlak