Addressing Earthquake Risk and Climate Crisis together in Spatial Planning

Abstract

Cities' vulnerability to natural and man-made threats are ever increasing. Cities are under the threat of both natural disasters such as earthquakes, avalanches and landslides; and climate-driven challenges such as excessive precipitation, heatwaves and droughts. This calls for a need of handling natural and human systems together for the future of cities. However, climate and earthquake action plans which naturally present a direct link to spatial planning, are often produced separately in the Turkish planning practice. This study advocates that strategies for combating earthquake and climatic challenges should be harmonized together within the spatial planning system, and respectively, aims at presenting a holistic planning approach. For this purpose, the study first examines the ways in which disaster and climate issues are addressed in the current laws and national action plans. Then, in line with the 'Regulation on the Preparation of Spatial Plans', it examines the spatial planning scales with an aim of determining the potential areas in which disaster and climate issues could be planned together. Taking this as a point of departure, the paper presents a set of planning strategies responding to earthquake risk and climate crisis at regional, city, neighbourhood and building scales. It discusses synergies and conflicts among these strategies at different scales. This study targets to develop a holistic perspective for earthquake and climate change induced disasters, for the decision-makers and practitioners operating in spatial planning processes.