The Construction of Fragility in Antakya: February 6 and February 20 Earthquakes

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Abstract

Disasters are events that cause losses for the whole or a significant part of the society, halt or interrupt normal life and human activities, and for which the coping capacity of the society is not sufficient, and the consequences of these events (AFAD, 2023). Our country is particularly vulnerable to some types of natural disasters as a result of its geography. Earthquakes, which have been observed many times in history and have caused significant loss of life and property and great destruction, stand out as the most effective type of disaster in our geography throughout history. Today, when the effects of disasters are getting deeper and deeper, the scope of urban planning discipline is largely related to disaster-resilient urban planning. On February 6, 2023, an earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş caused major destruction and damage in 11 provinces, with Antakya being the province with the greatest destruction and damage. When the causes of the damage in Antakya are analyzed, the effects of the planning and construction processes in the preearthquake period come to the fore. Analyzing the planning and construction processes since the earthquake, almost two years after the earthquake, is important for predicting the level of resilience and vulnerability of Antakya against possible disasters in the coming years. This article analyzes Antakya’s pre-earthquake and post-earthquake construction and planning processes.