A new city to be built in Istanbul: Minister

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Kayaşehir district, located on the outskirts of Istanbul’s European side is going to be the core of the new city. The population of the city is planned to be one million. Hürriyet photo

A city with a projected population of 1 million is planned to be built within Istanbul, Minister of Environment and Urbanization Erdoğan Bayraktar has said.

“The city we are planning to build will be around Kayaşehir. We will expand on that core,” Minister Bayraktar said in a written statement. Kayaşehir is a district on the outskirts of the European side of Istanbul.

Planning of the future city has already begun Bayraktar said and while the target goal is a population of one million initial plans call for a steady increase in population over time, beginning with 500,000, then 700,000 and finally 1 million.

“The core of the city we are planning to build will be Kayaşehir. We are swiftly starting work on the city,” said Bayraktar, adding that the search for suitable areas on the Asian side still continues.

Bayraktar also gave information about efforts to transform areas currently at risk from natural disasters, which the city plans to officially start in October. In the meantime at risk buildings are currently being tallied.

“We are mapping the buildings at risk, assessing the risk quality and quantity, preparing the legal regulations concerning the situation. We are passing the Cabinet decision. Simultaneously, we are talking to municipalities and adjusting them according to legal regulations,” Bayraktar said.

In 2023 the ministry hopes cities will be more organized and of a higher quality, Bayraktar said. Urban transformation will not only focus on areas under risk of damage due to natural disasters, but also on all dilapidated and illegal structures.

According to Bayraktar areas in Istanbul which are ill-prepared for earthquakes will be remodeled in accordance with ground safety.

Bayraktar stated that they aimed to conclude the process in less than 20 years. “We plan to start the process in early September and October. Within this framework we will start a very beneficial project for our country” he said.