06.11.2026 17:42
In Avcılar, population mobility occurred due to urban transformation. According to TÜİK data, Avcılar's population, which was 452,132 in 2022, declined to 437,221 in 2023. The district's population was determined as 440,934 in 2024 and 440,663 in 2025. The number of students at İnönü Primary School in Ambarlı Neighborhood declined from 900 to 750.
After the government supported urban transformation with the 'Half Is on Us Campaign,' transformation work accelerated in Avcılar last year. The number of buildings evacuated, demolished, and started to be rebuilt in the district recorded a significant increase. Due to the work concentrated in 7 neighborhoods other than Firuzköy, Tahtakale, and Yeşilkent, many buildings were evacuated. In addition to citizens who had to vacate their homes within the scope of urban transformation, the rising rents of renewed buildings also affected population mobility in the district.
DISTRICT POPULATION DECREASES EVERY PASSING YEAR According to TÜİK data, Avcılar's population, which was 452,132 in 2022, declined to 437,221 in 2023. The district's population was determined as 440,934 in 2024 and 440,663 in 2025. Data for this year has not yet been announced. According to information obtained from the electricity distribution company on the European Side of Istanbul, the number of subscribers in Avcılar decreased as urban transformation accelerated.
"TENANTS ARE MOVING TO MORE AFFORDABLY PRICED DISTRICTS" Arzu Kul, Avcılar Regional Representative of the Istanbul Chamber of Real Estate Agents, stating that intensive urban transformation work was carried out in some neighborhoods in Avcılar, especially Merkez Neighborhood, said, "Hundreds of residences were demolished. Old long-term tenants in the demolished buildings are moving to more affordable districts because they cannot pay the high rents in the market. Due to high construction costs, they sell their apartments or temporarily settle with elderly family members. After the school routine is disrupted, they are forced to move. In neighborhood-based schools, the number of students is also declining. Buildings that have entered urban transformation have a certain process for demolition. Water, natural gas, and electricity subscriptions are cut off for a certain period. Of course, they are adversely affected. For old tenants, the move becomes permanent. Since rents have reached 40 thousand lira, a permanent move takes place. But property owners can come later or rent out their homes," she said.
NUMBER OF STUDENTS DROPPED FROM 900 TO 750 At İnönü Primary School in Ambarlı Neighborhood, where urban transformation work has intensified in Avcılar and many housing complexes have been demolished to be renewed, the number of students, which exceeded 900 in past years, dropped to 750 due to homes being vacated and families migrating. Erhan Kaya, one of the parents with a child at İnönü Primary School, noting that the number of apartments in newly built buildings would be higher, said, "In a few years the population will increase. There will be an extra 10 apartments in each building. The mosque congregation, school, and neighborhood have decreased considerably."
AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, 1,200 BUILDINGS ARE EXPECTED TO ENTER TRANSFORMATION Avcılar Deputy Mayor Yüksel Can, stating that the decrease in population and number of students due to urban transformation is temporary, said, "Citizens leave the demolished building and naturally migrate to other neighborhoods, even other districts, to shelter and educate their children. But this is an inevitable problem for solving accumulated problems. First of all, what is important is ensuring life safety. God forbid, you saw the recent incident in Maltepe. Five of our citizens lost their lives as a result of a building collapsing there. In order not to encounter such possibilities in the future, we want to take measures in this way now to pave the way for this transformation, accelerate it, and ensure the safety of life of our citizens and neighbors. Population and student decreases are temporary things. As new projects are built, I believe that both our fellow citizens from Avcılar living here and our neighbors who went to Beylikdüzü and Bahçeşehir at the time will return over time.
In Avcılar, 200 buildings entered transformation in 2024, and 800 buildings in 2025. This year, the number of buildings entering transformation has exceeded 900. We think it will exceed 1,200 by the end of the year. While an average of 2,000 buildings entered transformation in the 10 years between 2013 and 2023, this year we are doing in one year half of what was done in 10 years," he said.