While temperature records have been broken in Turkey for the last 2 years, Istanbul is one of the cities most negatively affected by global climate change. The megacity, which has a population approaching 20 million and nearly 6 million houses, has only 12.5 square meters of green space per person. In areas with high construction in Istanbul, temperatures rise from 32 to 33 degrees to 38 to 39 degrees due to the heat island effect, posing serious risks to public health.
4 DEGREES HOT
Commenting on the latest situation in Istanbul, which has become an unbreathable city due to the sweltering heat, high humidity and the ‘Heat Island’ effect, ITU Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty Meteorology Engineering Department academic member Prof. Dr. Selahattin İncecik said, “City heat islands” occur when cities replace natural land cover with dense pavement, buildings and other heat-absorbing surfaces. Tall buildings and narrow streets cause the wind flow to slow down, preventing cooler air from surrounding rural areas from reaching the city center. “Based on the surface temperature in the most densely populated areas of Istanbul, the urban heat island intensity reaches 8 °C during the day and 6 °C at night.” he said.
THE RIGHT MATERIAL IS NEEDED
Prof. Dr. İncecik, who emphasized that materials that will reduce the Heat Island effect must be used in megacities, said, “Increasing city temperatures can cause deaths, especially in elderly people, as a result of heat shocks. Unless you make a plan, you will continue to experience the problem. We feel the heat island effect more intensely every year. The only way to reduce this is to increase water basins, green areas and to build green buildings against the heat island. As long as the current mentality continues, every summer will be more exciting than the previous one.” He used the expressions.
IT’S NOT BREATHABLE
In the latest study examining how dense urbanization affects temperatures in Istanbul, data collected from 30 stations in different parts of the city for 7 years was analyzed. The study found that the number of days when temperatures exceed 35 degrees is higher in urban areas. Scientists, on the other hand, drew attention to the fact that wind, the most important element in distributing the urban heat island effect, is not sufficiently utilized in Istanbul, and emphasized the need to create green corridors along stream lines.
The research also included the following findings: “In the last 50 years, the forest area in the city, which was 270 thousand hectares, decreased by approximately 12 percent to 238 thousand hectares. These negative developments cause us to feel the urban heat island effect more and more. “It is seen that urban areas on the Tuzla-Kadıköy line on the Anatolian side and the Fatih-Büyükçekmece line on the European side are warmer than rural and forested areas.” It was said.
WIND CORRIDOR PROPOSAL
Prof. Dr. Meltem Erdem Kaya and Research Assistant Hüseyin Ögçe from the Department of Landscape Architecture of the Faculty of Architecture of Istanbul Technical University shared the following information about the current table:
“According to our study, which analyzed data from 30 stations in different parts of the city between 2016 and 2022, this difference can go up to 1.3°C to 1.6°C in the coolest periods. “In urban areas, the number of days when temperatures exceed 35°C is also higher. However, by directing the northeast winds correctly, it is possible to cool down throughout the city.”
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