Sponge cities against the effects of climate change: Batman example

Global warming and climate change is one of the most important problems of the late 20th and 21st centuries. In addition to natural problems that trigger climate change, another factor is human activities. One of the most important factors that will undoubtedly affect warming among human activities is unplanned and wrong urbanization. This situation brings many disasters in cities. The intensification of oil exploration activities in the study area and the industrialization that developed accordingly caused the city to receive rapid migration. The city, which was established on first class alluvial soils and a cone of accumulation, was a village in the 1940s, but today it is on its way to becoming a metropolitan city with a population of over five hundred thousand. This situation almost invites disasters with the wrong location of the city. Most recently, a flood occurred in November 2023, resulting in the death of 4 people and material losses. Due to the lithological structure and geomorphological characteristics of the area, floods and floods are likely to occur in the future with torrential rains. In order to prevent floods and floods, the new sponge city concept has been put forward in the world and studies are carried out in many countries. In this study, in order to prevent flooding and flooding events in Batman city center, the planning of slowing down the water with downpours and artificially infiltrating it underground was made. Çamlıtepe neighborhood, Yaşar Kemal forest and its surroundings were determined as pilot areas.