12.10.2026 22:12
In his statement after the Cabinet meeting, President Erdoğan, recalling the collapsed building in Maltepe where 5 people lost their lives last week, made a vital "urban transformation" call to Istanbulites. Erdoğan said, "From here, I once again call out to my brothers and sisters in Istanbul. Please do not postpone the steps to be taken regarding urban transformation. Take action today to reconcile with your neighbors, initiate the necessary procedures, and attain a safe home."
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his statement after the Cabinet Meeting, recalling the building collapse in Maltepe last week in which 5 people lost their lives, called for urgent urban transformation for Istanbul residents. Emphasizing that the painful incident showed that building safety is a need that cannot be postponed, Erdoğan invited citizens to take precautions against earthquakes without wasting time.
ERDOĞAN: THE PAINFUL INCIDENT IN MALTEPE ONCE AGAIN SHOWED HOW VITAL URBAN TRANSFORMATION IS"
Erdoğan used the following remarks in his statement: "Five of our citizens lost their lives four days ago in the building that collapsed in Istanbul's Maltepe. I wish mercy from Almighty Allah for our deceased brothers and sisters, patience to their families, and healing to our injured. May our nation be consoled. This painful incident in Maltepe has once again shown how vital Istanbul's urban transformation issue is.
Postponing, ignoring, or sacrificing the reality of an earthquake in Istanbul to daily political quarrels would be betraying Istanbul. I must say this openly and clearly once and for all. Every time we say urban transformation, we are tired and fed up with some people coming out and raging by calling it rent-based transformation. No one has the right, and cannot have the right, to play with the lives of our people because of their ideological preconceptions. You see, they themselves live in villas and luxury and secure complexes. But when it comes to renewing Istanbul's building stock, these are the ones shouting the most. These are the ones making the most noise. These are the ones making the most clamor. The time has come to say stop to this hypocrisy.
WE SEE ISTANBUL AS THE CAPITAL OF THE URBAN TRANSFORMATION CAMPAIGN
As a government, despite the indifference displayed at the level of financial administrations, we are determined to accelerate our urban transformation campaign. We see our Istanbul, Fatih's trust, as almost the capital of this urban transformation campaign. We have carried out one out of every two urban transformations in Turkey in Istanbul. Since 2012, we have included 1,298,000 independent units in Istanbul within the scope of transformation. We have completed the transformation of 1,007,000 independent units. The transformation of 291,000 independent units is still ongoing.
We have reunited nearly 5 million citizens with their safe homes. We have also taken every step to encourage our citizens to undertake urban transformation. We launched our Half of It from Us campaign specifically for our Istanbul. With Half of It from Us, we have so far included 544,564 independent units within the scope of transformation. To enable more citizens to benefit from this opportunity, we extended the campaign until December 31, 2027. In our current support program, we provide 875,000 lira in grant, 875,000 lira in loan, and 125,000 lira in relocation support for each residence.
PLEASE DO NOT POSTPONE THE STEPS TO BE TAKEN ON URBAN TRANSFORMATION
We are providing 437,500 lira in grant, 437,500 lira in loan, and 125,000 lira in relocation support to our business owners. In other words, as the state, we do whatever falls to us to provide our people with safe housing where they can live in peace under their own roof. From here, I call out once again to my brothers and sisters in Istanbul. Please do not postpone the steps to be taken regarding urban transformation. Act today to reconcile with your neighbors, initiate the necessary procedures, and secure a safe home.
I also want to underline this. While our government, with all its means, has put its weight behind Istanbul's transformation, we expect all our municipalities, regardless of political party, to show the same understanding, the same effort, and the same sensitivity. I call on responsible mayors who truly love their city and district to focus on urban transformation projects.