Obstacles to urban transformation in Istanbul are increasing!

While experts constantly repeat their warnings regarding a possible Istanbul earthquake, it is stated that in an environment where 70 percent of Istanbul's building stock carries potential risk, the necessary work for urban transformation cannot be carried out sufficiently due to reasons such as financing difficulties and rising construction costs.

Since 70 percent of the building stock in Istanbul carries potential risk, urban transformation needs to be completed rapidly. However, factors such as citizen expectations, financing problems, high construction costs, insufficient human resources, existing legal issues, and the lack of coordination between central and local governments are causing this critical transformation to be delayed.

According to a report by BloombergHT, the concerns of Savaş Demir, a retired worker living in a 55-year-old apartment building in Üsküdar, regarding the structural integrity of his building are growing. However, apartment residents who want to apply for urban transformation are facing problems such as new zoning regulations and rising construction costs.

Pointing to the increasing costs, Demir says, "A few years ago, we could renovate our building for 350,000 – 400,000 TL per apartment. Now it has become 1.5 million TL. There is no one in the building who can pay this amount. We also do not have additional floor rights. It is now very difficult for us to do this work."

News Source: 12punto