BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Türkiye has completed
the construction of 455,000 housing units in earthquake-affected
regions in less than two years, Ömer Bulut, the Deputy Minister of
Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye, said
during the panel session titled "Housing for Urban Prosperity and
Opportunities for All," held within the framework of WUF13 in Baku,
Trend reports.
Bulut recalled that the devastating earthquakes of February 6,
2023, resulted in damage to nearly 500,000 housing units across the
country.
"We were able to complete the construction of 455,000 housing
units in the disaster zone in just two years and hand them over to
their owners," he noted.
According to him, the new residential areas were designed as
sustainable ecosystems complete with social infrastructure, green
spaces, energy-efficient solutions, and environmentally oriented
planning.
Bulut emphasized that the new buildings comply with the nearly
zero-energy building (nZEB) concept, which allows for a 39%
reduction in energy consumption and a 38% decrease in greenhouse
gas emissions.
"We attach great importance to the use of solar energy,
rainwater harvesting systems, and the development of
climate-resilient infrastructure," the deputy minister said.
He pointed out that housing policy must be considered
comprehensively, alongside issues of transport, healthcare,
education, employment, infrastructure, and climate policy.
Bulut also called for intensified international cooperation in
the areas of financing, green technologies, and strengthening local
capacity to create more affordable, resilient, and low-carbon
cities.
