This research project was conducted with support from the Columbia Global Center in Istanbul.
As a Project Assistant for Building Back Better in Hatay, I traveled from New York to Hatay and Istanbul between January 9-18 for field research. Our project team believes that elevating local perspectives is crucial to gaining an authentic understanding of the challenges, risks, and ongoing initiatives in the region. In keeping with our multi-stakeholder approach, we prepared tailored questions for different groups and contacted key stakeholders ahead of time.
During my time in Turkey, I conducted six interviews, including discussions with the Mayor of Antakya, faculty members from Mustafa Kemal University, and representatives from two NGOs: Hatay Deprem Dayanışma Derneği and Ortak Akıl Antakya. While our prior research had provided us with a general understanding of the region’s struggles, listening firsthand to these individuals surfaced pressing, real-time issues that require urgent attention. Given my personal connection to the region, this fieldwork also reinforced my understanding of how the landscape has shifted in ways that are difficult to grasp from afar.
In my conversation with the Mayor of Antakya, İbrahim Naci Yapar, I learned that the city is now the largest construction site in the world, with 25% of Turkey’s construction machinery deployed in the field. While the urgency of reconstruction is evident, the mayor emphasized that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change is the primary decision-maker, centrally controlling all processes. This centralization, echoed in my other interviews, has led to concerns about the exclusion of local expertise and residents from planning efforts. Another challenge is that while rebuilding efforts address immediate needs, they are also creating new problems: flooding, dust, waste management issues, poor air quality—already leading to illnesses such as COPD—and extreme traffic congestion.
From January 13 through January 17, I attended meetings at Mustafa Kemal University, including discussions with faculty from the Sociology, Architecture, and Urban Planning departments. Their current reality is stark with many of their offices now in container units due to severe damage to university buildings. These containers suffer from electricity shortages and rely on inefficient heating and cooling methods, which are ineffective due to poor insulation. Despite these challenges, faculty and students continue their work with remarkable resilience, advocating for stronger local involvement in decision-making. Many criticized the lack of meaningful engagement from both governmental bodies and international organizations, noting that while discussions have taken place, they often fail to translate into sustained action. In our in-depth discussions—many lasting over 3-4 hours—faculty members shared research, reports, and studies with me, expressing their eagerness to collaborate further.
Beyond formal interviews, simply being in the region provided deep insight into the situation. The dynamic nature of the recovery effort was striking. Since my last visit a year ago, Antakya has changed drastically. Roads are lined with prefabricated container businesses—meant to be temporary but now far exceeding their intended use period. As Professor Bilge Cakir noted, container housing was originally meant to be a short-term solution, yet it has become a long-term reality. Many residents are still running businesses from these inadequate structures while waiting for permanent housing. The push for speed in reconstruction is undeniable, but the question remains: at what cost?
I also had in-depth discussions with Mert Aslanyürek from Deprem Dayanışma Derneği and Serif Süveydan from Ortak Akıl Antakya (the latter conducted in Istanbul). Mert’s NGO has undertaken a pilot project in Çekmece Mahallesi, demonstrating a multi-risk, multi-stakeholder approach that aligns with our project’s vision. Their data collection process serves as a strong example of what we could replicate to strengthen our efforts. Similarly, Serif Suveydan’s work highlights the importance of cultural and historical continuity in the reconstruction process. OAA is currently in the process of publishing a detailed book on post-disaster urban recovery, emphasizing the need for collaboration among various stakeholders to ensure sustainable master planning.
A common challenge raised in nearly every conversation was the lack of access to reliable data. There is no centralized data hub for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to reference, leading to fragmentation and inefficiencies. The Hatay Planning Center, initially a promising initiative for data collection and urban planning, became inactive following political changes. The absence of this resource was felt strongly by all the individuals I spoke with. This highlights a crucial gap in the recovery process—one that our project could potentially address by supporting a data platform for Hatay.
This field visit was invaluable in refining our approach. Seeing the evolving landscape of my hometown firsthand, engaging in deep discussions with key stakeholders, and recognizing the complexity of the ongoing challenges reinforced the importance of our project. These insights not only solidified the relevance of our work but also provided a clearer direction on how we can contribute meaningfully. Our next steps will involve synthesizing these findings to inform the project’s strategic direction, fostering continued collaboration, and advocating for a more inclusive and data-driven approach to rebuilding Hatay.