Turkey and Syria After the Earthquakes: Long-Term Recovery: Building Back Better

The 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that hit Southeastern Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, officially took an estimated 60,000 lives. Entire neighborhoods were destroyed in cities such as Kahramanmaraş, Adiyaman, and Hatay, with more than 160,000 collapsed or severely damaged buildings. The humanitarian crisis facing the region presents urgent aid and disaster relief challenges as well as concerns for long-term, safe, sustainable, and resilient rebuilding efforts.

"Turkey and Syria After the Earthquakes" is a series of four panel discussions curated by CARRRE (Collective Action for Readiness, Recovery, and Resilience), a collective of U.S.-based Turkish-American architects and academics. CARRRE aims to amplify awareness among a global audience regarding the catastrophic repercussions of these earthquakes, and to provide agency to architects, planners, engineers, municipalities, and builders on the ground by assisting with local relief efforts, sharing professional expertise, and aiding in the development of long-term rebuilding strategies. These panels aim to provide an international platform for learning, debate, and actionable projects.

“Long-Term Recovery: Building Back Better” is the third panel in CARRRE’s four-part series. This panel will examine the challenges and opportunities that arise in connection with the long-term, large-scale planning initiatives and resilient rebuilding of cities and communities in post-earthquake areas. The speakers will address conventional post-disaster planning strategies and building techniques, rapid damage assessment tools developed through AI, and focus on alternative approaches developed for Turkey and other countries. Key topics include:

• Interplay between natural disasters and sustainable development.
• Consideration of long-term post-earthquake planning guidelines and methodologies in Turkey.
• Concepts of seismic evaluation, design, and retrofit of existing buildings and infrastructure in regions of repetitive earthquakes.
• Basic principles of regeneration projects which incorporate an overriding urban development vision, political commitment, and willingness to implement binding and structural measures.

Speakers:
Prof. Dr. Osman Balaban, Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi / Middle East Technical University (METU), Dept of City and Regional Planning
Prof. Dr. Oğuz Cem Çelik, Istanbul Technical University, Structural & Earthquake Engineering
Ebru Gencer, Columbia University, Architecture, Planning, and Preservation; Founding Exec. Director of Center for Urban Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CUDRR+R); World Bank, Senior Urban Resilience Adviser
Ertuğrul Taciroğlu, F.ASCE, University of California, Los Angeles, Civil & Environmental Engineering Deptartment, Chair

Co-Host:
Salt (Istanbul) 

Organized by:
AIANY Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee; AIANY Global Dialogues Committee; AIANY Building Codes Committee; Collective Action for Readiness; Recovery, and Resilience (CARRRE)

Event Start Times by Location:
AIA New York (NYC): doors open 9:30am ET, presentation begins 10:00am ET
Salt Beyoğlu (Istanbul): doors open 4:30pm TRT, presentation begins 5:00pm TRT

The organizers are strongly encouraging that attendees make donations to Turkish Philanthropy Funds in support of the planning and rebuilding efforts. 

This event is offered in person and virtually; COVID-19 vaccinations and face masks are strongly encouraged for all visitors. Read our full Health and Safety Protocol here.

If you register for a virtual ticket, you will receive an email with a Zoom link to access the program.