Urban planner Bayram Vardar stated that all fault lines in Bursa had been identified in the recent past within the framework of the Bursa Metropolitan Environmental Master Plan. Speaking at a meeting that reviewed a century of urban planning in Bursa, Vardar said, “We have all the data Bursa needs concerning earthquakes.”
A conference was organised jointly by the Bursa Branch of the Chamber of Architects and the Bursa Branch of the Chamber of City Planners. The conference was held at the Bursa Academic Chambers Union through the collaboration of these two organisations. Urban Planner Bayram Vardar and Architect and Urban Planner Prof. Dr. Handan Türkoğlu participated as speakers, while numerous architects and urban planners attended the event. The programme reviewed Bursa's urban plans from the past to the present and discussed the measures necessary to create a more liveable Bursa.
BURSA'S PLANNING CULTURE
Speaking after the programme, Bayram Vardar said: “The seminar, attended by a technical committee comprising members of the Chamber of Architects and the Chamber of City Planners, examined the technical, administrative and legal implications of past experiences in envisioning Bursa. Our principal purpose was to conduct a workshop on the measures required to make the Bursa of the future more liveable and how these measures should be implemented. Technical analyses were undertaken concerning how Bursa's planning culture, which began approximately a century ago, should develop in the future. Principal issues addressed by the technical committee in planning Bursa's future between 2011 and 2013 were considered. It was a useful exercise in reviewing how green spaces and earthquake risk—a particularly urgent issue today—should be reflected in urban plans to create a more liveable city,” he stated.
WE HAVE BURSA'S EARTHQUAKE DATA
Vardar noted that Bursa's fault lines had been mapped and local administrations were undertaking microzonation studies. He said: “Within the framework of the Bursa Metropolitan Environmental Master Plan, all fault lines in Bursa were identified in the recent past. We have the data Bursa needs concerning earthquakes. Local administrations are currently carrying out building-scale studies in smaller areas through what we call microzonation. These measures will help make Bursa more liveable in the future. In fact, all the data necessary to understand the relationship between ground conditions and buildings are now available. What remains is for both technical professionals and our citizens to take this reality into account and determine their needs accordingly.”