Learning Lessons from the ۲۰۲۳ Türkiye Earthquakes for Urban Settlements Using Technical Approach

Türkiye is located on the Alpine-Himalayan belt, one of the most significant seismic belts in the world. A ۷.۷ magnitude earthquake struck on ۶ February ۲۰۲۳, with its epicenter located in Pazarcık district in Kahramanmaraş province, Türkiye. In addition, over ۱۲۰۰ aftershocks have been reported. These are Türkiye’s most powerful earthquakes since ۱۹۳۹. The consequences of these earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria were very wide. Considering the neighborhood of these countries with Iran, as well as the climatic and cultural similarities, this article tries to identify the gaps and learn lessons from the earthquakes for similar urban areas in Iran. In this regard, the most important challenges in the first three months after the earthquakes are analyzed. The focus of this article is mainly on the technical aspects, such as the performance of the buildings, the sheltering process, and challenges and solutions. For this purpose, the methodology used is a longitudinal study, part of a wider research, with a review of UN resources, Turkish media, foreign media, as well as expert visits. Finally, this article concludes that there are several physical and technical challenges in the field of building performance and the process of providing housing after the earthquakes

Keywords:

Türkiye , Earthquake risk management , Urban areas , Buildings , Post-disaster shelter