Speaker
Description
Housing renewal, which aims to improve the existing housing stock’s structural quality, is largely associated with earthquake risk and the expectation of economic benefits, in Turkey. With the effect of the legal regulation made in 2012 that encourages housing renewal in order to produce earthquake-resistant building stock (Angell, 2014), there has been a significant increase in the number of building construction permits in Istanbul. Housing production, both through property-led regeneration (Imrie and Thomas, 1993) and new construction permits on the undeveloped land on the periphery of the city, has brought about a change in the social structure in Istanbul (Ozus, et. al, 2011). In this paper, the relationship between the housing constructions in Istanbul and the change in socio-economic structure is examined and explained spatially, at district level. Housing constructions in Istanbul, triggered by economic, socio-cultural, political and spatial dynamics that differ according to the characteristics of the residential areas and social structure, is discussed especially in the context of housing renewals (Kisar Koramaz, et. al, 2018).
Within the research, data on the number of residential building permits and flats produced in Istanbul since 2012, and fundamental indicators of social-economic structure are evaluated, and the relationships between the indicators are examined by descriptive statistics and thematic maps. Research findings indicate that, in parallel with the spatial development of Istanbul and the growth of the housing market since 2012, the population of Istanbul has reached 15.66 million with a population growth rate of 13%, and that the spatial characteristics of the housing buildings produced in this process and fundamental social indicators such as household size have increased. Spatial analyses underscore the relationship between housing renewal dominance in the city centre and the emergence of new housing markets on the urban periphery. While this finding aligns with expected trends, Istanbul's peripheral districts—marked by extensive urban growth and sprawl—also provide insights into the city's overall population growth rate (housing construction permits in Esenyurt, is as 186,990, in Basaksehir as 100,228 and Kucukcekmece 91,068). Notably, Kadikoy—as one of central district in Anatolian Side—ranks fourth in terms of the total number of residential building permits issued, with 87,721 apartments approved between 2012 and 2023. Based on published housing survey data (IMM, 2023) and official statistics (TUIK, 2024), housing construction permits in the districts analysed in this study appear to have a substantial impact on urban quality of life. This impact is observed not only in central districts with established planning background and infrastructural quality but also in those addressing critical challenges related to environmental quality and urban services.
It is expected that the paper will contribute to the discussions on examples such as Istanbul, where the effects of a rapid transformation of housing production are experienced both on spatial and social dimensions, especially triggered by disaster risks such as earthquakes. This paper lays the groundwork for future research to explore the spatial, ecological, and social impacts of housing construction permits on the housing quarters where they are issued. These impacts, often unnoticeable in the short term, underscore the importance of monitoring and regulating the long-term consequences of such construction activities, especially given the rapid yet legally incentivized processes currently active in Türkiye. In addition, the findings of the paper will enable an evaluation in relation to the urban macroform regarding the renewal processes of residential areas in the city centre, which is one of the main subjects of a research project that forms the basis of this paper.
References
Angell, E. (2014). Assembling disaster: Earthquakes and urban politics in Istanbul. City, 18(6), 667-678.
IMM (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality; 2023) Data-Driven Management Model Research, Open Data Portal, [Online] available at: https://data.ibb.gov.tr/dataset/veriye-dayali-yonetim-modeli-arastirmasi-b-bolumu-verileri.
Imrie, R., and Thomas, H. (1993). The limits of property-led regeneration. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 11(1), 87-102.
Kisar Koramaz, E., Koramaz, T.K., and Ozer, O. (2018), “Urban transformation through property-led regeneration: A case of building renewals in Istanbul”, A| Z ITU Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, 15(2), 183-196.
Ozus, E., Turk, S. S., and Dokmeci, V. (2011). Urban restructuring of Istanbul. European Planning Studies, 19(2), 331-356.
TUIK (Turkish Statistical Institute; 2024) Building Permit Statistics, [Online] available at: https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=135&locale=tr.
| Keywords | housing renewal; urban quality of life |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
