Architect Nihat Sen was among those who did serious work on this issue after the renovation of the old buildings, which started with the 1999 earthquake, came up and later became law under the name of urban transformation. Especially with the introduction of the law, he shared his thoughts on what urban transformation should be like in written and visual media and what problems it contains. The point, what we know, the shortcomings and the latest version of the application shared with the readers of our journal.
Architect Nihat Sen said that if there had been a real urban transformation, the lighting sector would be one of the first lines of business that would get the most share of this cake. If we had done the urban transformation with Ottoman and Seljuk architecture without any rent concerns, everyone would have won today. Unfortunately, the point has been completely turned into profit and we are narrowing down their habitats, he said.
First of all, what do our people get when we say urban transformation?
Normally, only when we say urban transformation, the first perceives it as rent transformation and the second is the demolition of old buildings and the construction of new buildings in its place. However, urban transformation is not like this.Since the law, which came into force in 2012, was prepared quickly and urgently, it became a construction furore by entering with the wrong entrance and saying that we are doing urban transformation. However, as a result of a number of miscalculations, only the securities held by the citizen entered this business for 3-4 four apartments in exchange for their property, causing them to see a rent gate.
Urban transformation is to take measures that can put human life at risk, to standardize Turkish architecture that enables the transition from distorted urbanization to visionary urbanization, includes social equipment, encompasses renewable energy, prioritizes environmental factors, strengthens the spiritual and human relations that make us who we are, provides neighborly relations, ensures the protection of historical and natural beauties, and cannot be established together with urban transformation.
Starting with the neighborhoods that were put in at night with a start that did not fall within the criteria mentioned above, it became crooked and uneven throughout Istanbul.
What is the source of the problem in urban transformation? Are there loopholes in the law?
In fact, the law was introduced with the 1999 earthquake. It was officially announced in 2012 with a long working process. Before the first urban transformation melih bey, Karayalçın and Ankara Dikmen project was first launched. The main problem here is that the law has not been fully explained to civil society, chambers of commerce and local governments. With the problems that arise as a result of the wrong practices, it caused the citizens to hesitate. It revealed that the building stock in our country, which is on a fault line of 24 thousand km, is in a state that puts our people at risk with the 1999 earthquake. 60% of the structures in our country are illegal or unlicensed. It shows us how important the law is.
Urban transformation, which started quickly and eagerly, has not reached the desired level in the past 5 years. Currently, the ministry, local governments and professional chambers do not show the necessary inclination. In a future earthquake, everyone will look for a deficiency and a culprit. In Turkey, which has 19,500,000 building stocks, 7,500,000 buildings need to be urgently renovated.The number of buildings renovated over a 5-year period is around 150,000. The ministry set an annual target of 500,000, but that number did not materialize. Even the 500,000 figure only takes us 15 years. This process needs to be very fast. This issue emerges as the most important problem after terrorism. The fact of a 3 meter high tsunami in the Marmara sea, which was monitored in a 5-year joint study of the Kandilli observatory and Japanese scientists, emerged. Transformation needs to be achieved as soon as possible in the coastal districts of Istanbul. The research determined that the expected earthquake with a magnitude of 6 would be between 7 and 9.
Istanbul urgent transformation needs to take place….
The necessary urban transformation in Istanbul should be carried out quickly in this respect. Currently, 1,800,000 buildings in Istanbul, which has a building stock of 3,400,000, are urgently waiting to be renovated. The necessary infrastructure should be provided as soon as possible and urbanization should be regulated according to the earthquake. In urban transformation, everyone is praming according to their mind. For this purpose, our managers who know the business must seriously discuss this issue. In fact, new zoning law should be made with the facilities and concessions provided by law no. 6306. We need to achieve an area-based urban transformation, not island-based urban transformation. In order to achieve this quickly, the local government and the ministry must work in coordination. I do not believe that an Ankara-based transformation will be efficient. For this purpose, it is necessary to include the supervisors consisting of experts in their work, as well as companies that include architects, engineers, financial accounts accredited by the ministry who can undertake this work, and lawyers who will solve legal problems. A specialist staff of the ministry must be in Istanbul to supervise these companies. It is imperative that there be serious criminal sanctions for any wrongdoing. For this reason, a fully authorized urban transformation directorate must be opened in the Marmara region. Planning, designs, approvals must be made by this directorate.
Can this structure be done by TOKI?
I don't think that's enough. Structurally, TOKI's task is very different. TOKI is an institution that builds and develops projects. It was established as an institution that produces social housing in particular. It's impossible for us to get over this by the government. Even municipalities have not established a unit in this regard.
The Property Right of the Citizen must be protected.
This work in particular should be explained very well to the citizen. The concerns of the citizen must be addressed. A good plan needs to be made and explained well to the citizen, because the citizen stands before you like a Great Sky. You can see good examples and bad examples of this. Currently, gaziosmanpasa and Fikirtepe urban transformation areas are completely contained in problems and filled with application errors.
Especially under the name of building renovation, 15-20 storey buildings rose instead of 4-storey building. The road is the same, the environment will experience the same confusion that will occur in the human density in the same future. Our citizens do not question the structures that do not have a school and do not have any social opportunities. The only beauty is that the old buildings disappear. Another misconception of our citizen is that he does not know that he has actually experienced a devaluation, thinking that his property has gained value. He realized that he was left with the problem of traffic and parking with multi-storey buildings that minimized neighborly relations by having spaces smaller than large and comfortable houses.
Featured Projects Develop construction and real sector. In particular, the Lighting Sector is the business sector that will receive this share the most.
With the area-based urban transformation, the value of the property will increase. Transformations with educational areas, cultural centers, bazaars, car parks, gardens, walking areas and sports facilities will increase interest in the property. This will automatically increase the value of the property. Especially the architecture of the projects to be carried out will provide new opportunities to many sectors when the architecture is planned in advance and considered finely from lighting to landscaping. Today, Kadikoy district is one of the districts with the most renovations and transformations. If the places where people would breathe were made on a field basis, people would not be fleeing places like Kadıköy today. With the demolition of old buildings in Caddebostan, it became a construction site and rent area. Today, as people fled, the shops began to close. With the renovation of the floor without planning, it created serious problems in this area. Today, a transformation was initiated in Beyoğlu. When you look at it, a human-oriented transformation has been achieved with its unique architecture. President Ahmet Misbah Demircan has emerged as a successful example in terms of local authorities. Everything was considered in this study. Lighting products and lighting design to be used here appear. Many lighting companies will provide new products.
As a Turkish society, we are a nation with a rich culture. We came to Anatolia from Central Asia with different cultures. We are the heirs of a generation that developed and saw the architectural structures in this land where we came from. We have a civilization with Seljuk and Ottoman architectural culture. Our ancestors built bridges, inns, fountains where they went. Today, countries such as the United States are just building fountains on the roadsides. Even our roadside recreation facilities are a sign of this tradition. The development of the concept of family is a result of the construction that belongs to us. If we can't return to the essence in our architecture, we will have nothing to offer future generations. In order to protect the street and neighborhood culture, we must implement urban transformation well. If we fail to do so, we could lose our future by undergoing cultural transformation.
Our president actually underlines this issue with horizontal architecture. Local authorities must consider urban transformation as a field. In this regard, the ministry must complete its structure in all provinces at risk of earthquakes, especially Istanbul. As a company, we work on this issue by guaranteeing the property rights of our people first. By examining the requests received, we transfer them to our citizens in an open and transparent manner from a to z. We tell you about due diligence and everything that can be done. In this regard, we provide financial support opportunities, turnkey conversion and building renovation opportunities.
What do you think of the Zoning Amnesty?
I think the law that's been passed is right. With this law, problematic structures will be legalized. But in a country with inadequate local authorities, zoning amnesties need to be a deterrent. Zoning laws must be brought to a standard. Local leaders of our country should be elected from knowledgeable and experienced people. This law will have a great advantage in buildings that are problematic in urban transformation.
