Barınma ayrıcalık değil temel insan hakkıdır - Türk uzman

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Housing policy must be viewed not only as the construction of buildings, but as the creation of a full-fledged urban environment that ensures well-being and social sustainability, said Cemil Arslan, Secretary General of the Marmara Municipalities Union of Türkiye, Trend reports He made the remark during a panel discussion titled "Launching the Barcelona Metropolitan Declaration: Bold Commitments to Addressing the Housing Crisis at a Metropolitan Scale" held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku "Housing should not be seen as a privilege. It is a fundamental right of every human being," he said According to Arslan, the Marmara Region covers only 9% of Türkiye's territory but accounts for approximately 30% of the country's population "Istanbul alone is home to about 16 million people. At the same time, the metropolitan areas of the region are closely interconnected," he noted He cited Istanbul's water supply system as an example of this dependency on neighboring metropolitan areas "Istanbul receives water from Sakarya and Tekirdag. Without these two metropolitan areas, it is impossible to secure the water supply for the city's residents," Arslan emphasized According to him, a similar interdependence exists across transport and industrial sectors "Around 200,000 trucks move daily between Istanbul, Kocaeli, Tekirdag, and Sakarya. Without taking the linkages between these territories into account, it is impossible to effectively resolve transport, housing, and social issues," he stated Arslan informed that the Marmara Municipalities Union is currently developing a strategic program for the region's spatial development, bringing together around 200 municipalities Speaking on housing policy, he noted that building houses alone does not guarantee a high quality of life "Following the devastating earthquake in Türkiye three years ago, which affected 11 cities and about 14 million people, 450,000 residential buildings are being constructed in the country. However, building housing does not automatically mean creating well-being, social safety, and a comfortable living environment," Arslan said According to him, tackling such challenges requires coordinated action between municipalities, international organizations, and state bodies He also announced that the EMA Forum will be held in Istanbul in October this year, focusing on the role of metropolitan areas in global policy and climate risks related to water resources "Under the conditions of the climate crisis, metropolitan areas must pay special attention to the issues of water scarcity, flooding, and the associated social and environmental risks," Arslan added The third day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) is underway in Baku On the first day, a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a roundtable of ministers, assemblies of women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban well-being were held. Forum kapsamında Birleşmiş Milletler ve Azerbaycan bayraklarının göndere çekilmesi töreni de gerçekleştirildi Forumun ikinci günü ise ilk kez düzenlenen Liderler Zirvesi ile dikkat çekti. O gün küresel konut krizi, kentleşme politikası ve kentsel dirençlilik üzerine üst düzey tartışmalar yapıldı. Aynı zamanda WUF13 çerçevesinde Mexico City pavyonu da açıldı. Pavyon, Latin Amerika bölgesi ile işbirliğinin genişletilmesi ve WUF14'e hazırlık için önemli bir platform olarak sunuldu 182 ülkeden 40.000'den fazla kayıtlı katılımcının katıldığı WUF13, 22 Mayıs'a kadar devam edecek. "Dünyayı Barındırmak: Güvenli ve dayanıklı şehirler ve topluluklar" teması altında düzenlenen forum, sürdürülebilir kentsel gelişim alanında küresel iş birliğini güçlendirmek için hükümetleri, uluslararası kuruluşları, uzmanları ve sivil toplum temsilcilerini bir araya getiriyor