Urban Transformation from a Sustainable Construction Perspective: What Do Academic Data Say About Türkiye?

Global outlook: The construction sector at the center of the climate crisis

The urban transformation process accelerated by earthquake risk represents a strategic turning point not only in structural safety, but also in energy, carbon, and resource management. International literature clearly demonstrates the impact of the building and construction sector on the global climate balance. According to the latest report of the United Nations Environment Programme, the sector is responsible for approximately 32% of global energy demand and 34% of energy-related CO₂ emissions (UNEP, 2024). This ratio elevates urban transformation policies from a local zoning issue to a direct instrument of climate policy.

Within this framework, transformation projects in countries with high seismic risk and rapid urbanization—such as Türkiye—should not be treated as short-term building renewal programs, but as components of long-term sustainable development strategies. The UNEP report explicitly states that current progress in urban transformation is not aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement and that energy intensity in the building sector must decline at a faster pace (UNEP, 2024).

Strengthening instead of demolishing: Why the existing stock is critical

According to the report, improving the existing building stock is as critical as constructing new buildings. The document directly states: “Renovation of existing buildings is essential to achieving global climate targets” (UNEP, 2024, p. 18). This emphasis confirms the long-standing principle in sustainable construction literature: strengthen first, renew second.

Increasing the energy performance of existing structures and applying structural reinforcement strategies, rather than demolishing them entirely, preserves embodied carbon and reduces construction waste. This approach is also economically rational, as it directly lowers material and energy costs.

Energy performance: Structural safety alone is not enough

Energy performance is one of the most critical components of transformation. The International Energy Agency emphasizes that operational energy use in buildings represents the largest share of total life-cycle impact and stresses that stricter energy codes are essential (IEA, 2024).

Similarly, the UNEP report notes: “Building energy codes remain one of the most powerful policy tools to reduce operational emissions” (UNEP, 2024, p. 22). This statement highlights that energy performance criteria in urban transformation permits must become as central as seismic safety. Without making high-performance insulation, passive design, renewable energy integration, and water recovery systems standard practice, climate targets will remain out of reach.

Social sustainability: Why neighborhood fabric matters

Urban transformation is not merely a technical issue; it has a strong social dimension. UN-Habitat reports emphasize that maintaining community continuity is a fundamental condition for sustainable urbanization (UN-Habitat, 2022).

When physical renewal is pursued without preserving social fabric, long-term economic and social costs emerge. For this reason, neighborhood-scale transformation models that strengthen public spaces and support local economies are considered more sustainable in international literature.

Circular economy and material policies

The European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan provides a framework that directly targets the construction sector and defines the reuse and recycling of building materials throughout their life cycle as a strategic priority (European Commission, 2020). The document states: “The construction sector is one of the most resource-intensive and a key priority for circularity” (European Commission, 2020, p. 5).

This perspective explains why adaptive reuse strategies should be encouraged in urban transformation projects instead of demolition. Without material circularity, transformation cannot be considered environmentally sustainable.

Life-cycle cost: Cheap buildings or long-lasting buildings?

The concept of life-cycle cost forms the economic foundation of sustainable transformation. ISO 15686 defines that buildings should be evaluated not only by initial investment cost but by their economic and environmental impact over their entire service life (ISO, 2017). This perspective represents a shift in public procurement from short-term cost optimization toward long-term performance optimization.

International financial institutions reinforce this approach. World Bank reports show that green building finance reduces energy costs while increasing asset value (World Bank, 2021). This finding demonstrates that sustainable transformation is not only environmentally responsible but also financially rational.

When all academic and institutional data are evaluated together, the conclusion is clear: if urban transformation focuses solely on seismic safety, it risks producing a new generation of energy-inefficient buildings. Scientific literature shows that safe, low-carbon, and resource-efficient cities are achievable simultaneously.

Transformation projects that fail to integrate sustainable construction principles may solve today’s problem while creating tomorrow’s crisis.

References

UNEP. (2024). Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2024/2025.
https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/47261

UNEP. (2024). Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction – Full Report (PDF).
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/47261/Key-Messages-Global-Status-Report-Buildings-Construction-2024-2025.pdf

UNEP. (2023). Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction.
https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/45095

IEA. (2024). Breakthrough Agenda Report – Buildings.
https://www.iea.org/reports/breakthrough-agenda-report-2024/buildings

European Commission. (2020). Circular Economy Action Plan.
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy_en

ISO. (2017). ISO 15686-5: Life cycle costing.
https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?appId=PPGMS&documentIds=080166e5c8e38027

UN-Habitat. (2022). World Cities Report.
https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2024/11/world_cities_report_2024_case_study_annex.pdf

World Bank. (2021). Green Buildings and Finance Report.
https://documents.worldbank.org