Up to six million houses should be demolished and rebuilt in Turkey within the framework of “urban transformation,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, claiming that the process is a necessary precaution against natural disasters.
“Some 179 areas in 48 districts have been declared risky zones and taken within the scope of urban transformation. Additionally, 37,782 decares in 21 districts have been determined as a reserve construction area,” Erdoğan said in a speech at the Urban Transformation Congress in Istanbul on April 11.
The president denied that the aim is to make money for construction companies who win lucrative rebuilding contracts, but on the contrary to give “citizens safe homes.”
Criticizing the Istanbul Chamber of Architects, which is highly critical of urban transformation projects, Erdoğan questioned whether the chamber’s job is “to build or demolish.”
“While we are working to build, others just want to demolish. This chamber should work on plans and projects. Whenever you take a step on urban transformation, they take it to court. These cases don’t get any results for them but they make us lose time,” he said.
Erdoğan pointed to Istanbul’s Esenler district as a flagship site of urban transformation.
“I’d like to give good news to the people of Istanbul, especially people living in Esenler. We started digging in the Esenler Havaalanı neighborhood on Sept. 5, 2012 for urban transformation. This work has now finished and the keys will be delivered to the beneficiaries of new homes next month. Some 2,373 houses and 55 business spaces have been built in this area,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment