Assessment of the suitability of emergency and disaster assembly areas: The case of Istanbul/Büyükcekmece district

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ruya YILMAZ The increase in population and the need to meet the housing demand that comes with it has emerged as a significant problem, especially in contemporary societies. To address this need, unhealthy urban development transforms cities into mechanisms vulnerable to disasters. How safe are emergency and disaster assembly areas, developed as places where the community can securely stay in the first 72 hours after a disaster, within an unhealthy urban development? This study aims to answer this question by determining whether the declared emergency and disaster assembly areas meet the site selection criteria established on a national scale. In line with this aim, the relationship between cities and disasters was extensively researched. On a smaller scale, the importance of green spaces within the city as designated emergency and disaster assembly areas was highlighted. Site selection criteria determined by multiple authorities were identified and combined by considering their similarities and differences. Maps necessary for the site selection criteria analysis were developed alongside the current situation, and a suitability analysis was conducted to determine whether or to what extent the emergency and disaster assembly areas within the study area met these criteria. The results of the analyses were subsequently examined.