2025 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

"Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Earthquake Risk Mitigation, Prevention and Planning Project" is a project carried out in cooperation with Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), relevant public institutions and organizations and expert academicians. Bursa is one of the most important cities in Turkey and one of the fastest growing cities in the world with its fertile plain, thermal springs, lakes, tourism, historical values, automotive, textile, food and furniture industries. Bursa is the 2nd largest city in the Marmara Region. It has 17 districts. Its surface area is 10.819 km². It is the 4th largest city in Turkey in terms of population. Its population is 3 million 214 thousand 571 people.

The project is carried out to ensure that Bursa, which has strategic importance with its location, industry, transportation with neighboring provinces, tourism and historical values, is affected by a possible earthquake with minimum loss of life and damage. Within the scope of the project; damage vulnerability analysis of urban structures/buildings were conducted and maps were prepared. With the scenario earthquakes created, building damages and loss of life were calculated on a neighborhood basis. Analyses of vulnerable urban structures (roads, bridges, connection points, etc.) and public buildings (schools, hospitals, police buildings, etc.) are ongoing. According to the results of the analysis, recommendations for strengthening/reconstruction of structures are being developed.

The results will be announced in February 2025. As a result of a possible earthquake; solutions and recommendations on local evacuation areas, removal of rubble from the emergency transportation network, fire brigade, tent cities, first aid, debris removal, etc. will be presented and a 1/25.000 scale Urban Resilience Plan will be prepared. The "Urban Resilience Plan" created within the scope of the project will be integrated with the "Environmental Plan" being implemented by our municipality. This project aims to develop the "Bursa Model", an urban resilience plan that incorporates a strong concept of pre-disaster investment for disaster risk reduction, with a view to its future dissemination to other local governments and relevant institutional plans (IRAP etc.).  

For more information: www.bursa.bel.tr (External link)