In Turkey, under the urban transformation process that began with Law No. 6306 on the Transformation of Areas under Disaster Risk, which entered into force in 2012, more than 1,274,000 independent units in Istanbul have been included in the transformation scope. While the construction of 998,000 of these has been completed, the transformation process continues for more than 276,000 independent units in 39 districts as of July.
The "Yarısı Bizden" campaign, launched by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, has become one of the key supports accelerating the transformation. So far, 376,212 independent units have been included in the transformation process under the campaign.
Campaign Supports and Application Period
Within the framework of the campaign, a grant of 875,000 lira, a low-interest loan of 875,000 lira, and a relocation allowance of 125,000 lira are provided for housing. For workplaces, the total support is set at 1 million lira. The campaign, which has been extended until December 31, 2026, will be open to all citizens who have their homes and workplaces designated as risky structures by that date.
Because the campaign will end at the end of the year, experts warned citizens who plan to subject their homes to urban transformation to accelerate their application and project processes.
"Waiting Until the Last Days Could Lead to a Loss of Rights"
Haldun Ersen, President of the Urban Transformation and Urbanism Foundation (KENTSEV), stated that it is now imperative to live in safe housing in Istanbul, where the reality of earthquakes exists. Ersen said that the Yarısı Bizden campaign offers significant state support for citizens to renew their old and risky buildings.
Pointing out that those who wish to benefit from the campaign must apply by December 31, Ersen made the following assessments:
Urban transformation processes consist of time-consuming stages such as reaching an agreement among co-owners, technical inspections, project preparation, and formal applications. Therefore, waiting until the last days may cause a loss of rights or delays due to application congestion. Taking a step today could get you a safe and earthquake-resistant home.
"Earthquake Won't Wait; We Have No Time to Lose"
Hüseyin Kılınçarslan, President of the Association of Urbanism, Urban Transformation and Integrated Facility Management, expressed their satisfaction with the determination of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change on transformation and the increase in public awareness.
Emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the public, private sector and civil society organizations to accelerate urban transformation processes, Kılınçarslan said, "Making qualified civil society organizations working in this field a more active part of the process by our ministries, governorships and municipalities will greatly contribute both to the correct informing of our citizens and to the faster, healthier and more reliable progress of transformation processes."
Reminding that the Yarısı Bizden campaign will run until the end of the year, Kılınçarslan said, "The earthquake doesn't wait, so we have no luxury of wasting time. Every correct step taken today could save the lives of thousands of people tomorrow. Therefore, those who wish to benefit from the campaign should not leave the application process until the end of the year."
Key Points in the Application Process
Real estate lawyer Çiğdem Kezer drew attention to the need not to miss application deadlines in the campaign, stating that after a construction servitude is established, there is a one-year limitation period for applications.
Kezer noted that those residing in the independent unit for which an application is made must choose between rental assistance and the 125,000 lira relocation allowance, and cannot benefit from both at the same time. She explained that for owners with more than one independent unit, the grant support is valid only for the first housing unit.
Kezer stated that the repayment of loans extended under the campaign starts two years after the construction permit is obtained and can be up to 10 years. No interest is applied in the first year, and in subsequent years payments are updated at half the rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). She also pointed out that for rental assistance applications there is a one-year application period after the building is demolished.
