WE MUST ALSO ACHIEVE GREEN TRANSFORMATION IN URBAN RENEWAL

Hakan Şişik, Chairman of the Anatolian-Side Construction Contractors Association (AYİDER), has stated that urban transformation efforts, which returned to the agenda following the 17 August 1999 Marmara Earthquake, will create an opportunity to convert buildings into environmentally friendly structures. It is possible to transform buildings into green buildings with a minimum investment of USD 10,000 per building.

25 years have passed since the 17 August 1999 Marmara Earthquake, and urban transformation work continues in Istanbul, Turkey's vital city. Istanbul has a total of 7.5 million independent units consisting of 6 million residential units and 1.5 million commercial spaces. 1.5 million independent units in Istanbul are at risk. In view of the impending earthquake threat, 600,000 independent units need urgent transformation.

AYİDER Chairman Hakan Şişik noted that urban transformation work has been hampered due to legislative gaps in the law, and that efforts have been made to accelerate the process through campaigns such as "Half of It from Us," but that urban transformation has not been able to proceed at the desired pace due to personnel shortages in local administrations. He stated: "We need to accelerate urban transformation to solve the housing supply and rental problems. Supply-demand balance should be maintained in the right places with the right projects. Instead of public land, it is necessary to transform existing structures that need transformation. In this way, need-based 1+1 units in smaller square meters can be produced. Housing can be produced in smaller square meters.

Under current conditions, I do not think that producing housing from scratch on public land will provide any benefit to urban transformation. If the public intervenes in that direction, the supply-demand balance in the market will also improve," he said.

Hakan Şişik, emphasizing that urban transformation work must also achieve green transformation in the face of the climate crisis that has begun to threaten life after the earthquake, stated: "Germany currently has buildings that provide 100 percent of its electricity from clean energy. Through environmentally friendly green buildings, it is possible to achieve 40-50 percent savings in water consumption and 100 percent savings in electrical energy.

In London, some eco-friendly buildings reuse wastewater 8 times. We too should work towards green buildings during the urban transformation process. At an investment level ranging from a minimum of USD 10,000 to a maximum of USD 500,000, environmental factors can be provided to buildings, such as greywater, energy panels, and rainwater collection. We should also explain to citizens that this investment will be recovered within 2 years.

Today we talk about water scarcity. Instead, we should discuss 'How do we reduce water consumption?' Because water consumption from brushing teeth and washing hands is very significant. For this reason, environmental impact in buildings should be mandatory. It should be processed in at least 5-building plans and made mandatory," he said.