EBSO (Aegean Region Chamber of Industry) Council Member and Batı Anadolu Group Executive Committee Member Feyyaz Ünal made a presentation at the Ordinary Council Meeting of EBSO held in February. In his presentation, Ünal pointed out the importance of urban transformation, as well as the issues to consider and underlined the level that urban transformation reached both in Turkey and İzmir.
In addition to stating that the Urban Transformation Law which took effect on 05.31.2012 includes procedures and principles regarding the improvement, refinement, and refurbishment of the lands with risky buildings, as well as the areas under disaster risk, Ünal also offered information about the financial supports given within the urban transformation law and its application process.
6.5 million houses to be transformed
According to Ünal, Hiroshima/Danbara of Japan and Paris/La Défense of France are among the stand out urban transformation areas in the world.
“We can say that the urban transformation efforts in our country are divided into two groups including the construction of houses which faced the risk of collapse in the wake of the earthquake of ‘99 and the refurbishment of old buildings to bring them in compliance with today’s conditions.
For example, among the stand out urban transformation projects are Haliç’s Silahtarağa Elektrik Santralı (Power Plant), which later became a campus for Bilgi University under the name Santral Istanbul, and Izmir’s Gas Factory, which was transformed into a cultural center. On the other hand, demolishing a 40-year-old Bağdat Avenue building and replacing it with a newer version of the same building or reconstructing the same building with additional floors is not a true urban transformation,” Ünal said.
Feyyaz Ünal underlined that the aim is to transform 6.5 million houses throughout Turkey from 2013-2023 and added that “As a first step, 253,000 houses were transformed in 2013, and in 2014 about 130,000 houses went through a risk assessment and 12,384 of those were demolished. Only in Izmir a total of 35,836 houses located in an area of 918.16 ha were declared at risk.
35,000 houses and 2,500 commercial areas will be established when the urban transformation project concludes in the designated area of 1,350,000 m2 in Fikirtepe in Kadıköy – a district where the first and the most comprehensive urban transformation project was carried out.”
Ünal also offered information about Izmir’s urban transformation projects and their details. “With its climate and geographical location, Izmir is preferred more than other big cities. Given the high number of old buildings in the city, urban transformation efforts must be sped up in order to attract the qualified labor force of Izmir which has a significant economic potential.
It would be better to see the current situation as an advantage though. Because the aim of urban transformation is not to demolish the building and replace it with the same version but to construct a new city where parking lot problems are eliminated, air circulation is improved, and green areas are extended by combining parcels and obtaining permissions to add new floors. Urban transformation examples from Istanbul also help us see the mistakes made in Izmir’s urban transformation projects,” Ünal explained.
Urban transformation to positively contribute to the economy In his speech where he pointed out the advantages of urban transformation, Feyyaz Ünal said that the transformation efforts will boost the construction sector and thus the overall economy will be positively affected. Ünal also underlined that this will offer the opportunity to build more quality and eco-friendly houses with high energy efficiency.
Ünal further emphasized that urban transformation projects should stay loyal to the area’s historical and cultural structure, allow for a natural air flow, and ensure a city silhouette with an aesthetic appeal. “In order to speed up the process, floor addition permissions and parcel combinations aimed at addressing the shortcomings including new houses, parking lots, roads, and green areas should be supported with incentives and the applications such as exempting product suppliers from VAT should be increased in number,” Ünal continued.
