Hatay’s Revival Model to Go International with “ASİ”
The Türkiye Design Foundation is preparing to turn its work on the revival of Hatay after the February 6 earthquakes into a new international collaboration model. The aim is for the approach developed in Hatay to become a model that can be used to restore other cities devastated by natural disasters and wars.
Türkiye Design Foundation President Mehmet Kalyoncu stated that the design and planning work in Hatay’s Antakya, Kırıkhan, Defne and Samandağ districts is being carried out with the participation of Turkish and international experts.
39 Stakeholders Working Together for Hatay
In the work carried out under protocols with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 39 stakeholders consisting of historians, archaeologists, earth scientists, urban planners, engineers and architects are taking part.
Many different issues are being considered together, from the landscape and transportation of Hatay’s historic city center to urban architecture, lighting design and a sustainable urban planning approach.
Mehmet Kalyoncu stated that working with different designers and disciplines adds significant strength to the project, and pointed out that the knowledge and experience gained can be used not only for Hatay but also to restore other cities.
The New Collaboration Model Is Called ASİ
A new organization named “Assembly for Synthesizing Innovation – ASİ” is being developed to turn the collaborative approach created for Hatay’s revival into an international structure.
In this context, contact has been made with international organizations such as The Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA), the Foster Foundation and the UK Design Council. ASİ is planned to operate as an organization that designs cities and brings different disciplines together around a common goal.
The model aims to contribute not only to earthquake zones but also to the revival of cities devastated by floods, wars and other causes. The goal is to apply this approach in different regions such as Ukraine, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Morocco and Palestine.
“We Set Out to Make Hatay a Place of Hope”
Cem Yılmaz, Co-Founder of the KEYM Urban Renewal Center, also emphasized that a strong spirit of collaboration lies at the heart of the work in Hatay.
Yılmaz stated that they aim for the model created by bringing together different areas of expertise both to give hope to Hatay and to set an example for restoring destroyed cities in other parts of the world.
Bünyamin Derman, Co-Founder of DB Architecture, stated that future needs were taken into account in the planning work and that an approach addressing the city’s infrastructure and physical systems together was adopted. It was also reported that around 500 scientific sources were used in the work.
Work Continues for Hatay and Adıyaman
Led by the Türkiye Design Foundation, a wide-ranging effort with contributions from around 2,000 people is under way for Hatay and Adıyaman. A budget of 250 million Turkish lira has been allocated for the project’s design process, and the design processes for Hatay and Adıyaman are targeted for completion according to the set schedule.
The Türkiye Design Foundation aims to turn the experience gained in Hatay into an international collaboration model and contribute to the reconstruction of cities affected by disasters and wars. In this way, the solidarity that began for Hatay is intended to light the way for the future of cities in other parts of the world.