Earthquake-devastated Antakya is being rebuilt to withstand any natural disaster

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The earthquake itself could be measured in seconds, but for the people of Antakya, Turkey, the earthquake's reverberations were immeasurable.

On February 6 last year, more than 50,000 people were killed and millions displaced when two earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude struck the country’s south and northern Syria. The United Nations has estimated the cost of rebuilding the region at more than $100 billion.

Antakya (historically known as Antakya), the capital of Hatay Province, was one of the hardest-hit cities in Turkey, with nearly 80% of buildings reportedly damaged beyond repair.

The devastation was “beyond imagination,” according to Nicola Scaranaro of Foster + Partners, the architecture firm that last month published its master plan not only to rebuild and revitalize the city, but also to future-proof it against earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters.

That goal is easier said than done in a region historically prone to earthquakes, Scaranaro said, where last year's quake in Antioch was the seventh to destroy the city since its founding in the fourth century B.C.

The city lies at the foot of Mount Habib Nekar in the Orontes River Valley, and its proximity to the river means that the devastating impact of earthquakes is exacerbated by a phenomenon called soil liquefaction, where soil loses its solidity and behaves like a liquid.

With vast areas of built-up land along the banks of the Orontes River, flooding has also posed a long-term risk to Antakya’s residents. Foster + Partners estimated that more than 45,000 residents across 2.5 million square metres were at risk of flooding even before last year’s earthquake, with the likelihood of incidents increasing amid the climate crisis.

Ensuring resilience in the face of repeated threats was at the heart of considerations when the company was commissioned six months after the earthquake by the Turkish Design Council – a non-governmental organization – to lead an international consortium of teams in developing a strategy for rebuilding the area.

The architecture and street design will act as a first line of defense against the impact of the earthquake, including compact buildings that will better handle seismic activity than the large, tall, L-shaped structures that previously dotted Antakya.

The mega-residential neighbourhoods, inspired by those in Barcelona, ​​would promote car-free zones that would ensure multiple routes in the aftermath of a disaster, both for emergency services and for residents to flee.

Scaranaro explains that this arrangement also benefits quality of life, resulting in less traffic—a major shift for a city that was previously dominated by cars—and more green urban spaces.

Green spaces could play an integral role in flood protection, he added, as large areas of land along the river have been designated as unsuitable for redevelopment. Instead, continuous riverfront and public parks would fill in these high-risk areas, acting as a natural “buffer zone” when the banks burst and floodwaters flood.

The network of green spaces and community gardens planted with native species will provide vital habitats for plants and animals, and will act as “green corridors,” allowing wildlife to move freely. This approach will also help achieve the master plan’s goal of doubling the amount of green space per person.

“We felt (in the past) that access to green space was not very democratic,” Scaranaro said.

“If we use what's already there, respect nature, and create this beautiful biodiversity corridor, we give the city some beautiful pedestrian paths, bike paths, and green spaces.”

How 'sponge' cities can deal with flooding

Construction work began while the master plan was being drawn up, with engineering consultancy Buro Happold predicting it would take 10 years to fully revitalise the city.

But the master plan’s authors hope lessons will be learned long before the last brick is laid. The planning consortium wants to create a “new collaborative blueprint for reviving disaster-hit cities” around the world, a climate-first approach that Scaranaro believes has been sorely missing.

“It should be at the forefront – but it's not always the case,” he said.

“Unfortunately, when we read the news, we find that many similar natural disasters are happening… How can we apply this level of resilience before something happens?

“It is important to look at this. We use the term sustainability, but sometimes we need to give it meaning.”

Yet, despite its global scope, the plan was written primarily for, and partly by, the people of Antioch, Scaranaro insisted.

Amid all the talk of revitalizing the city and adding new features, preserving its “spirit” was a key goal. Older people in particular were invited to face-to-face interviews to share their memories of the city and their hopes for it.

In an interview with an elderly resident of one of the housing complexes set up for displaced citizens in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Scaranaro was told: “I no longer trust these buildings, because they betrayed me.”

For the Italian, this quote served as the basis for his purpose in the city.

“It’s not about the buildings; it’s about building trust and a sense of belonging. We want people to feel like they’ve rebuilt the place,” Scaranaro said.

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