Abstract :
The administrative and scientific authorities state that expected Istanbul earthquake will cause a substantial amount of death, loss, injury and damages in property and infrastructures. Oftentimes it has been pointed out that in Istanbul, where urban sprawl and ghettos scattered throughout the city, thousands of buildings will be collapsed and more of them will be damaged at an inhabitable level. No doubt that after the earthquake it is expected that one of the most prominent problems of the city will be sheltering. Sheltering such a huge amount of people in such a city as having been experiencing housing plot scarcity, and by considering population movement from downtown to the vicinity of the city, comes out a serious problem to be emphasized on. When looking at land use and housing plannings of Istanbul, forestland, which occupies 49 % of the surface area, is one of the most important, may be the most one, potential sheltering places of the people. When relevant legislation, particularly Law on taking necessary measures against disaster and assisting and rescuing public, No: 7269, affecting general life is investigated, it allows forestlands opening for sheltering and settling. However, such a sheltering and settling may cause irrevocable destruction and damages on forests, which is an important source of both drinking water and oxygen for Istanbul, and therefore it may lead another disaster. In light of the above summary in this study forest laws and other relevant legislation have been investigated and analysed with respect to the possibility of opening those areas to sheltering and settling for the people after an expected Istanbul earthquake.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Forest , earthquake , legislation , Istanbul , pasture area
