Lessons for building a disaster-prepared living environment

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1677600811\/qtfbkuqnzeoht8poqofc.jpg","id":"6598815"}],"caption":"Modular House, two-story houses for earthquake zones, S+ ARCHITECTURE"}]],"markups":[["i"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.splusarchitecture.com\/","target","_blank"]],["b"],["sup"],["a"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.charitynavigator.org\/discover-charities\/where-to-give\/earthquakes-turkey-syria\/","target","_blank"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[0],0,"Murat Soygenis, FAIA,\na founding partner of "],[0,[1],1,"S+ ARCHITECTURE"],[0,[],1,", is an\narchitect and professor in Istanbul. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Experts warned Turkish authorities about an\nexpected earthquake along the East Anatolia Fault (EAF), but the warnings were\nnot heeded. The catastrophe that remains following the February 6 quake is\nnot a fate but a natural disaster, one from which governing authorities must learn to reduce\ndevastation. The tools required will be an understanding of nature, plans to\ntrack science, and the honesty and goodwill of all parties involved."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"History can predict the future "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Throughout its seismic history. Turkey has\nexperienced similar devastations after almost any powerful quake. The highest\nrisk areas lie along the fault lines between the tectonic plates. The Marmara\nEarthquake, which damaged the Marmara region of northwestern Turkey in 1999, killed\nmore than 17,000 people. The Marmara Quake affected a densely populated\nindustrial and residential strip 200 kilometers (124.27 miles) long. The\nscientists prepared detailed reports and warned the political authorities about\nthe dangers of residential settlements and industrial developments on the quake\nfault line around mid-century when the area was not densely populated. The\nscientific reports were not followed resulting in a not well-planned urban\ndevelopment in the Marmara region, the densest settled industrial and\nresidential zone in Turkey right on the North Anatolian Fault line (NAF). "],[0,[3],1,"(1)"],[0,[],0," "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The destruction from the current quake\nis similar. The hardest hit 10 provinces stretch approximately 500 kilometers.\nThis is almost the same distance from Boston to Philadelphia or New York to\nWashington, D.C., in the United States of America or Paris to Amsterdam in\nEurope. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Turkish cities experienced rapid\nindustrialization and urbanization due to population growth and an increase in\ndensity after the 1950s. Most of the cities lost their low-rise, single-family traditional\nhouses and they were replaced with mid-rise multifamily buildings. The typical\nmultifamily housing stock in most of Turkey including in the quake-damaged\ndisaster area consists of approximately four- to ten-story reinforced concrete\nbuildings with brick or concrete masonry unit non-load-bearing exterior walls\nand interior partitions."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A very high percentage of the residential\nbuildings, 60% or more as miscellaneous authorities report, are built without\nproper permits or with no accordance with building codes. The earthquakes would\nbe less destructive if seismic codes and geological surveys had been\nimplemented properly and settlements were not allowed on the fault lines, and corrupted\nconstruction processes with weak control of constructions prevalent in Turkey\u2019s\nconstruction sector were abandoned."]]],[10,0],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"Disrupting\nthe \u2018construction peace\u2019"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"After the 1999 quake, there has been extensive\nacademic and professional research resulting in detailed reports and projects\non architectural and structural design in earthquake-prone areas to raise awareness.\n"],[0,[3],1,"(2)"],[0,[],0," The\ngovernmental authorities issued revisions to the seismic building codes and\nprepared development plans following disaster risks during the period after the\n1999 earthquake. The intentions looked promising in controlling the seismic\nhazards and protecting the public against earthquakes. Unfortunately, shortly\nbefore the elections in 2018, the government introduced an amnesty program\ncalled \u2018construction peace\u2019 legalizing constructions built without permits that\nwere not in compliance with the current building codes. The amnesty program\nlegalizing unsafe buildings by paying a fine was highly criticized. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Another important planning tool\nintroduced to prepare risky buildings for earthquakes and other natural\ndisasters like floods and landslides was an urban regeneration program commonly\nknown as the Urban Regeneration Law enacted in 2012. The concept of urban\nregeneration in risky areas, providing the residents of these areas with earthquake-safe\nbuildings sounded promising in the beginning. In the end, the process of urban\nregeneration turned into a catastrophic path due to its not clearly defined\nnature bringing the revenue-thirsty construction firms and the apartment unit\nowners trying to protect their rights face to face."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Commercial advertisements for some of\nthe collapsed residential buildings in the recent earthquake carried expressions\nlike \u2018built by the current seismic codes\u2019, and \u2018a corner of paradise\u2019. They\nwere built only a few years before the earthquake. Buyers were impressed by the\nadvertisement campaigns such as \u2018modern looking attractive facades\u2019 and \u2018prestigious\u2019\nbrand kitchen tiles. Unfortunately, this type of marketing technique attracted\nbuyers. The earthquake has taken its toll. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[2],1,"Education and awareness are essential"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Coordination between disciplines involved in\nthe construction of the built environment would provide a holistic and scientific\napproach to creating a disaster-safe environment. The main role stands with the\ndecision-making governing bodies, central and\nlocal. Existing seismic building codes and\nregulations would suffice if all parties worked with no \u2018looting\u2019 and no\n\u2018corruption\u2019."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The long road to a "],[0,[4],1,"disaster-safe living environment "],[0,[],0,"involves many parties\nbut can lead to fewer deaths and less destruction."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"You can support direct response efforts to help the people impacted in Turkey. Consider "],[0,[5],1,"donating to trusted organizations"],[0,[],0,"."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Notes:"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"(1) Ihsan Ketin, a Turkish geoscientist,\nprepared a detailed report on the North Anatolian Fault line in 1948 and\npointed out problems associated with this area in northern Turkey according to\nmany sources. He authored articles on the North Anatolian Fault: Ketin, I.,\n\u2018Kuzey Anadolu Fayi Hakkinda (On the North Anatolian Fault)\u2019, Maden Tetkik ve\nArama Dergisi, Vol. 72 Issue 72, 1-27, 1969."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"(2) Among many others, \u2018Modular House\u2019 is a low-rise project\ndeveloped as a social\nresponsibility initiative by the author with his architectural group S+\nARCHITECTURE, providing minimal housing solution for refugee population and\/or\nfor natural disaster survivors. Economically feasible, modularly produced housing units offer\nsuitability to living and cultural habits, compatible for use in earthquake\nzones."]]]]}