Istanbul needs neighbourhood regeneration
Istanbul may well not need the mega-projects described by Constanze Letsch (The razing of Istanbul's history, 2 March). But make no mistake about it, huge swaths of the city's older neighbourhoods must be demolished and reconstructed during the next 10-20 years if a humanitarian catastrophe is to be averted. In the aftermath of the 1999 Marmara earthquake, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency predicted that the likely toll of the next major earthquake would be some 90,000 deaths, 135,000 serious injuries and the destruction or serious damage of 170,000 buildings. This impact will be heavily concentrated in 12 of the city's 32 municipalities, including the historic districts. JICA argued that effective mitigation will require more than a million dwellings to be demolished or structurally upgraded in 400 neighbourhoods, which are home to more than 5 million people.
More:Letter: Istanbul needs neighbourhood regeneration | World news | The Guardian
