Housing tenders after Turkey earthquake reach over 75 billion TL in value

The total value of the housing tenders initiated by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) two weeks after the recent major earthquake through a bargaining process has surpassed 75 billion TL, T24 website columnist Cigdem Toker said.

Toker analyzed the tenders conducted by TOKI and stated that "With the recent tenders, the average cost per dwelling approaches 1.8 million Turkish Liras, according to the total offer size and the number of dwellings."

In her article, Toker mentioned that the total value of the housing tenders discussed in her previous column was at the level of 60.7 billion Turkish Liras, and she reported that 11 more tenders were conducted between March 13 and 17.

In the tenders for earthquake housing held for Malatya, Antep, Maraş, Diyarbakır, Osmaniye, and Adana, the tender value exceeded 14 billion Turkish Liras for a week.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pledged to finish reconstruction in the earthquake zone within a year but critics voice concerns over the speedy process saying that reconstruction process is prioritizing speed over thorough planning and risk assessments.

The President of the Real Estate Strategy Platform, Hakan Gumus, who is also an urban planner, has told BBC Turkish that if there hadn't been an election, the planning process for the reconstruction of earthquake-stricken areas would not have been so rushed.

The President of the Chamber of City Planners, Gencay Serter, has highlighted that the process has been accelerated through the use of a Presidential Decree that sidelines planning. He added that culture, tourism, agriculture, national defense and other ministries, as well as public institutions like the State Hydraulic Works, should also be consulted during the planning process.

The International Transparency Organisation representative, Oya Ozarslan, has cited the example of Hatay Airport, which was reconstructed quickly and without consultation with civil society and has been deemed unusable after the earthquake.