ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – December 2011
ELAZIĞ AND URBAN TRANSFORMATION
Urban transformation refers to the process of reimagining and reworking urban areas, addressing social, economic, and structural challenges by producing projects that aim to regenerate, revitalize, or reconstruct problematic areas of the city. In short, urban transformation involves tackling issues that disrupt the fabric of a city. While there are many definitions in the literature, in our country, this term is largely associated with the renewal of buildings affected by earthquakes.
In almost every city in Turkey, the stock of buildings with insufficient earthquake resistance makes up nearly the entire existing building stock. Naturally, when we think of urban transformation, the first thing that comes to mind is the renewal of buildings. However, if only buildings are demolished and new ones are constructed in their place, this is not urban transformation; it’s simply building renewal. Similarly, if old buildings with insufficient earthquake resistance are abandoned and new structures are built in other areas, this is not urban transformation either; it's just the creation of new development zones. Urban transformation must involve the reimagining of a city in social, economic, and structural terms. Therefore, urban transformation plans should be designed while taking into account the local dynamics of each province.
Urban transformation plans should be prepared for each neighborhood individually, and for each block within those neighborhoods. The structural planning of urban transformation must be meticulously crafted. The new urban planning and zoning works for each block will help lighten the financial burden on the state. In urban transformation, the state should not pay contractors directly. Each person living in a development block should receive a new apartment in exchange for their old one, and the contractor should earn their profit by selling the remaining apartments. This system is quite suitable for the older neighborhoods in Elazığ.
In our country, most buildings are of a type that consists of either single or double housing units in adjoining blocks. The individual renewal of these buildings creates both economic and environmental drawbacks. Therefore, my primary recommendation is the construction of blocks that contain four apartments per floor. The difference in the cost of the rough construction between four single-apartment buildings and a single four-apartment block is approximately 10%. A symmetrical and rigid building with four apartments per floor is more resistant to earthquake forces, making it more economical. A 10% difference in construction costs is significant in the construction industry.
The economic benefit isn’t just limited to construction costs. As the buildings are renewed and neighboring apartments share common walls, there will be significant savings in insulation and consequently in heating costs.
Constructing buildings with four apartments per floor also eliminates the hammering effect that adjacent buildings are subjected to during an earthquake.
In older settlements, gardens between buildings are often used as junkyards. With urban transformation, the spaces gained from these gardens can be used for road expansion and appropriately sized sidewalks. This will contribute to better utilization of green spaces and create a more beautiful environment in terms of urban planning.
Elazığ must certainly be included in urban transformation plans. Its location in a high-risk earthquake zone and the insufficient earthquake resistance of its building stock are the primary reasons for this. However, through this article, I would like to draw your attention to an important issue that has not been discussed until now. Everyone remembers the Sivrice Earthquake that occurred in February 2007. Following that earthquake, around 200 buildings in Elazığ sustained severe or moderate damage. Hundreds of buildings were on the verge of collapse, yet we rarely find information about buildings being declared uninhabitable, nor has there ever been coverage in the media about heavily damaged buildings being demolished. This suggests that hundreds, possibly thousands, of buildings—both recorded and unrecorded—are potential candidates to become cemeteries.
In many buildings we know to be damaged, repair work was preferred over strengthening. Considering that the number of such buildings is not insignificant, this highlights the level of risk Elazığ faces. Over the years, there have been numerous earthquakes in our vicinity. Due to the forces these buildings have been exposed to, there has been significant wear on their structural systems. For these reasons, Elazığ ranks among the highest-risk provinces when it comes to earthquakes. Therefore, including Elazığ in the list of cities where urban transformation must be implemented first will help minimize the damages caused by future earthquakes.
The responsibility for ensuring that Elazığ’s building stock is made earthquake-resistant belongs to all of us. Let us continue to emphasize the necessity of urban transformation in every environment.
Final Words: Communities with a high level of civilization, those that focus on long-term goals and grand projects, are the ones whose homes are the safest places during earthquakes.