SUMMARY OF IFC-ISTANBUL INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYSIS REPORT

INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

INTRODUCTION

Duties of the Infrastructure Committee are defined as living standards, security and

transport means shall be provided to meet the infrastructure needs of financial

organizations by the 16th priority of the Strategy and Action Plan for Istanbul International

Financial Center which is published in the official gazette (nr. 27364) on Feb 2, 2009. This

priority (priority 16) specifically indicates

(56) IFC-Istanbul Project will not concentrate on a specific site. In fact, all works across

Istanbul for upgrading living areas, security and transport means, and qualities and

standards of technology shall support the IFC-Istanbul Project as well.

(57) Building technologies that would minimize earthquake and safety risks shall be employed

in areas where financial organizations will concentrate and employees will reside for the

creation of necessary office spaces and housings; real estates investments incorporating new

technologies shall be made to improve quality of living in the city.

(58) Within a transport master plan of at least five years, domestic and international

connections to Istanbul shall be structured to provide effective and speedy transportation,

urban transport projects (air, sea, land, rail systems) shall be completed; and particularly the

airports and urban centers shall be integrated through various transport systems.

(59) Works shall be carried out in Istanbul to improve and develop health, education,

recreation, accommodation and hospitality facilities to serve foreigners.

According to these duties the Infrastructure Committee established 5 different research groups

Transportation, Energy and ICT; Clustering, Office, Housing, Tourism and Convention;

Natural Disasters and Security; and Education and Health. Research done by all these groups

are brought together by the Istanbul International Financial Center Project Office to form a

holistic analysis report and to share the outcomes with State Planning Organization (SPO) (the

IFC-Istanbul Coordinator), Infrastructure Committee and other committees that work for IFC-

Istanbul. Thus, the existing situation, development trends and planned investments as well as

the required actions to be taken by the Infrastructure Committee, Istanbul Metropolitan

Municipality and other related institutions are defined by this analysis report and by the 2011

action plan.

Infrastructure Committee held a series of search conferences within the scope of IFC-Istanbul:

Clustering, Office and Housing in February 07, 2011, Transportation, Energy and Natural

Disasters in February 14, 2011, Education and Health in February 17, 2011 and Tourism

and Security in February 21, 2011. Search conferences were held on 10 different topics for

four days. The aim of the search conferences was to evaluate strong and weak aspects of IFC-

Istanbul, determining the problem areas that are in the realm of responsibility of IFC-Istanbul

Infrastructure Committee, which can constitute alternative to the outstanding areas in the

structure of IFC-Istanbul. Additionally, the search conference series also aimed to make the

actors and professionals to discuss and bring the action proposals stated in the IFC

Infrastructure Committee Action plan to maturity. In this context, the Analysis Report and

2011 Action Plan have been evaluated and revised according to the outcome of the Search

Conference Series.

FINANCIAL CLUSTERS

Financial sector, although being spread all around the city, is highly concentrated on ili-

Mecidiyeky-Bykdere-Maslak Axis on the European side; and in central Kadky as well

as in Kozyata, Altunizade and Kavack on the Asian side. However, the unbalanced

distribution of financial industries is creating problems at the macro scale. The biggest

challenge at macro scale planning process has been the spatial concentration of commercial

and service industries mostly in a single center (ili -Bykdere-Maslak axis) on the

European side. Therefore, without developing strong attraction centers on the Asian side and

without a shift from a monocentric to polycentric urban form, it is not possible to solve the

problems created by such concentrations and increase the living standards in the city. Hence,

the Istanbul Master Plan (evre Dzeni Plan DP) proposing a linear east-west polycentric

urban form development aims to create a balance in the distribution of population and

employment between the continents of the city. For this purpose, to support the central

business district (Eminn-Beyolu, ili-Mecidiyeky-Levent: Bykdere Axis); Kartal and

Kozyata-Ataehir on the Asian side; Yenibosna axis and Silivri on the European side are

proposed as the attraction centers where high-end commercial-service-financial industries will

locate.

A polycentric urban form is also in line with the objective of IFC-Istanbul Istanbul as an

international financial center not being concentrated on a specific site. Considering the status

quo, development trends and the Istanbul Master Plan, Levent-Maslak Axis, Yenibosna

Axis, Topkap-Maltepe-Bayrampaa District (as the CBD integration district), mraniye

(Ataehir Financial District Project Site) and Kartal are standing out as potential cluster

locations for IFC-Istanbul. Within this context, proposals can be summarized as

Taking opinions from professionals to evaluate alternative cluster locations

Providing the means of efficient cooperation among actors and shareholders to integrate and coordinate the potential cluster locations of IFC-Istanbul

Producing strategies and policies for Istanbuls infrastructure by researching leading global and regional financial centers and learning from their experiences

Developing infrastructure for innovation and supporting University-Business partnerships by providing an effective legal framework for technology parks

Additional proposals addressing the integration of IFC-Istanbul and the urban infrastructure

that came up during the search conference are

Providing efficient, fast, secure, and affordable transportation and communication,

Evaluating the urban macro form and urban centers with an integrated planning approach

Protecting natural sites of urban structure such as forests, water basins and cultivated areas

Solving the insufficiency problem of quality of life

Integrating the financial center vision to the cultural and touristic image of Istanbul

Removing insufficiencies of coordination among public institutions

OFFICE

Office spaces are evaluated according to their locations within the Central Business District

(CBD) and outside the CBD; and physical building characteristics Grades A, B, C. Office

spaces within the CBD are mostly categorized as Grade A and Grade B office buildings.

Total office stock in Istanbul is 2,877,025m2 of which 67% are located on the European side

and 32% on the Asian side as of 2009. Office stock is highly concentrated in Levent-Maslak

(30%) which is followed by Atatrk Airport (18%), mraniye (10%) and Kozyata (10%).

Office stocks in leading financial centers, on the other hand, are 19.7 million m2 in London;

6.9 million m2 in Singapore; and 3.8 million m2 in Manhattan New York as of 2009.

Vacancy rates for Grade A and Grade B office buildings within the CBD are 11.5% and

12.6% relatively as of 2010 third quarter. Demand growing at a faster pace than the supply

resulted in an increase in occupancy cost. Again in the third quarter of 2010, the average rent

for Grade A office buildings within the CBD was $27.2 per m2 per month whereas it was

$16.6 per m2 per month for Grade B office buildings within the CBD. Levent with the lowest

vacancy rate has been the leading district in occupancy cost with $36.3 per m2 per month.

Although office rents -compared to other major cities- are relatively low in Istanbul, supply

needs to catch up with demand to preserve the advantage of low occupancy cost.

According to European Cities Monitor 2010 by Cushman & Wakefield Global Real Estate

Solutions, Istanbul ranks 26th among European- and 33rd among world cities in terms of

business location. However, Istanbul, being the third biggest office market in Europe and in

the Middle East following Moscow and Warsaw, has yet to develop its Grade A office

building spaces. Insufficient supply of Grade A office buildings together with traffic

problems at the CBD results in both local and international businesses to flee from the

traditional center to the newly developing business centers since 2005. For these reasons

insufficient supply and traffic problems and due to scarcity of space, high cost and

earthquake risks, Grade A office building investments occur in Yenibosna, ili-Kathane,

Taksim-Hali and Bayrampaa on the European side; and in mraniye, Kavack, Altunizade,

Kozyata, Kartal and Pendik on the Asian side. Thus, proposals regarding the office

development in Istanbul are;

Analyzing the problems of existing and potential clusters and designing regulations to eliminate problems and to provide business friendly environment

Preparing a master plan that will address the infrastructure problems and the development of high quality Grade A and A+ office spaces and applying that master

plan as soon as possible to meet the demand that will increase by becoming an

international financial center

Solving the infrastructure problems (transport, car parking, energy, natural disasters risk management, information and communication technologies etc.) of potential

clusters that will support the financial center

Redevelopment of old office buildings within the CBD that are not categorized as Grade A or Grade B office buildings

Developing research and technology districts or special centers at the periphery of the city by considering the banking institutions demand of a single center with

developed infrastructure and where services are provided as a whole for that special

district. These districts will produce their own energy and means of stimulus.

Developing high standards of living in the socio-physical environment around such districts to prevent any discomfort for employees who will work in those places

Suggestions regarding the office infrastructure in addition to office development proposals of

the Analysis Report that came up during the search conference are

Stimulating the construction of green buildings and determining national standards since these are some of the pre-requisites of international financial institutions.

Providing legislative privileges (abiding by international construction standards) to support the construction of symbolic buildings and landmarks.

HOUSING

The most important problems in housing sector in Istanbul are natural disaster risks emerging

due to the misuse of natural environment, being unprepared towards such disasters and

insufficient supply of housing as well as inefficient infrastructure in residential districts. Thus,

the basic factors that need to be evaluated are population control and rehabilitation of existing

housing stock most of which are not disaster safe. On the other hand, factors such as facilities

for socio-cultural and religious activities, urban administration, education and health that

determine the standards of quality of life are not meeting the standards.

Projections foresee that the population increase due to IFC-Istanbul and increasing financial

sector activities will not have a big effect on the general population increase. That is,

population change due to IFC-Istanbul will not have much effect on the macro scale.

Therefore, at a micro scale, providing quality housing integrated to working spaces with

efficient infrastructure oriented towards the population attracted by IFC-Istanbul will be an

adequate action. On the other hand, actions towards eliminating the core problems mentioned

before will not only create a more attractive urban environment for that population but also

increase the living standards for the local population. Thus, proposals to address these

problems and for IFC-Istanbul are

Developing Grade A and B housing integrated to working spaces around IFC potential clusters

Focusing on redevelopment projects within and around the CBD and on the construction of new quality housing outside the CBD to address the needs of IFC

attracted population

Planning quality housing with basic socio-cultural and urban facilities, especially around the periphery where data-center alike back up services will locate

Designing regulations that ensure urban development and redevelopment integrates with social, cultural and economic development.

Ensuring the conservation principles for landscape and the silhouette of the city as well as balancing conservation and use during the (re)development process; and

providing the means for active conservation while eliminating the urban development

pressure on such conservation sites and buildings

Taking urban facilities into account during the housing redevelopment process

Following the standards stated at the zoning legislation during the planning of urban facilities

Taking measures to integrate mass housing with its surrounding urban environment while increasing the quality of urban environment and taking environmental aesthetics

into account

Creating pedestrian and cyclist friendly streets

Modifying and designing car parking spaces according to world standards

The most important problems that are mentioned during the search conference were lack of

quality housing, poor connection between housing and working districts, inadequate

population growth control, lack of natural disaster-proof building stock, high housing rental

and sales prices, and lack of urban social facilities.

Additionally, it is stated that due to the sufficient stock of grade A and A+ housing, there is a

need to invest in quality housing stock by building new quality housing and by rehabilitating

the existing stock rather than investing more on luxury housing. Moreover, it is mentioned

that special attention shall be paid to the construction of disaster-proof buildings during urban

redevelopment. Besides, rather than constructing new housing to eliminate the problem of

poor connection between housing and working districts, it was emphasized that it would be

better to enhance public transport.

TRANSPORT

Analyses show that the main transportation problems in Istanbul are increasing numbers of

vehicles and trips; negative effects of land transport the basic transportation mode in the

city on the natural and urban environment; and inefficient traffic/road safety measures.

Although a considerable amount of trips in Istanbul consist of public transport, traffic on the

roads is largely dominated by private vehicles. Located along the water, share of sea transport

in Istanbul is quite low (2,5% of all trips). On the other hand, investments on rail tracks aim to

increase the 150 km track length to 624 km by 2023. This will result in Istanbul to compete

with global cities like Hong Kong (262km) and Singapore (101km). However, even with that

kind of vast investment Istanbul will not be any closer to Paris (1,705km), London (1,633km)

or New York (971km). Considering the air transport, Istanbul is at a strategic location within

the region and has two airports sharing the high volume. However, compared to major global

financial centers the city is quite behind (17.8 million passengers annually) Hong Kong (37.2

million passengers annually), Singapore (29.9 million passengers annually) and New York

(27 million passengers annually). Considering IFM-Istanbul will increase the international

passenger volume, plans should address to meet the standards to serve a higher volume of

passengers. Proposals for an efficient and sustainable transportation network are as follow

Putting priority to the existing transportation investment plans to meet the increasing demand

Updating the statistical data through in situ questionnaires

Working on traffic management to make the centers more easily accessible in the short run

Designing transfer centers in the short run to decrease transfer times among public transport modes and for efficient integration among the modes

Planning Park & Ride spaces to support public transport use and decrease private vehicle use and to eliminate traffic jam

Developing car parking charge policies i.e. higher charges in the centers to prevent parking for long hours.

Developing policies such as congestion charge (that of London) to decrease the private vehicle use after having developed an efficient public transport network.

The proposals of the search conference are summarized below

Resolving immigration problem in Istanbul through regional development projects coordinated by the central government

Determining performance criteria in transportation and integrating these criteria into the legislation

Building ring railways in Istanbul to decrease travel time as in the example of similar cities

Preparing airport master plans -that shall include all transport modes- to enable easy access to the city from the airports.

Expanding Ataturk Airport by adding the military airport ground to it and implementing the Silivri Airport project proposal of the Istanbul Master Plan.

Examining leading global cities in rail transport in terms of investment and management models as well as public private partnership models.

Surveying finance models intended at using the unearned income of urban development rights such as transferring of development rights in order to enable

development in public transport

Establishing a Transport Management Committee that works as the chief organization and coordinates the relevant transport institutions in Istanbul.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Turkey ranks 69th among 139 countries in terms of network readiness according to the IT

report by WEF. On the other hand, it ranked 57th among 159 countries at the ICT

Development Index, IDI by ITU in 2008. 2010 third quarter data shows that the size of the

telecommunication sector has been around $24 billion -$18 billion in services and $6 billion

in software and hardware. Moreover, 10% of increase -$26.6 billion- is expected in 2011.

Needs of financial sector in terms of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can

be summarized as

Fast, uninterrupted, safe and affordable broadband access

Widespread use of mobile and electronic signature services

Digital data archives

Secure disaster recovery systems

2010-2012 Strategic Plan by Information and Communication Technologies Authority

(ICTA) has three main goals that support the macro scale objective creation of an

information society

e-transform of public authorities/institutions

Widespread use of electronic communication over broadband

Efficient information security

In addition to ICTA strategies, issues that need to be evaluated are

Making the market work

Open access

Entry of private sector into the market

Public investment in passive infrastructure

Multiuse of infrastructure

Rural strategy

Demand stimulation

The additional suggestion to the ones stated in the IFC-Istanbul Analysis Report during the

Search Conference Building the Right Models for Energy Infrastructure which has not

been directed towards the IT infrastructure was to analyze the status quo and to predict the

future demand while researching the alternative (cable/wireless) capacity sufficiency.

ENERGY

Efficient supply of energy, high quality and uninterrupted service and security are necessary

for financial sector to work smoothly. However, electricity cut programs -to meet the

increasing demand- are still in use in Turkey. Annual increase in electricity use in Turkey is

6-7% while it is 2-3% in developed nations. Turkeys Electrical Power System working on the

interconnection to the European Synchronous Area (CESA) of European Network of

Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) since 2010, on the other hand, is a

positive development towards supplying quality and safe electricity. After the one-year trial

period is over, the connection will be secured and Turkey too will become an ENTSO-E

member. This will not only improve the quality and safety of the services but also make it

possible to enter the European market and provide the means for electricity commerce among

those nations.

On the other hand, electricity infrastructure in Istanbul is mostly depreciated. Although the

infrastructure built with the technology 50-60 years ago needs to be replaced completely,

subsidizes for such infrastructure are few and enough only for micro scale rehabilitations.

Furthermore, the objectives in investment plans and programs cannot be achieved due to the

limited subsidizes and unsynchronized activities of transmission and distribution companies.

Thus, the lack of investment needed results in heavy load on the system which in turn creates

fluctuations in voltage and defects in the system. The uncoordinated distribution of

downloading and uploading transformer stations is another reason of voltage fluctuations.

Another important problem is power theft and losses in the system. Hence, consumers do not

get quality electricity.

The natural gas network in Istanbul -which plays an important role in improving the air

quality- is well developed with massive investments and is about to finish the development

process.

New standards (TS 825) are developed to improve the building quality and to construct

environmentally friendly buildings. Moreover, buildings -especially the ones requiring large

land- that prefer to go green are increasing in numbers in recent years. This is supported by

laws and regulations. On the other hand, Ministry of Public Works is working on adapting the

LEED certificate in Turkey. However, green buildings in Istanbul are very few.

Following these analyses, proposals for IFM-Istanbul are

Evaluating the problems of high, medium and low voltages separately and regionally and designate the priorities accordingly

Developing coordination and coalition among public institutions regarding the transformer stations

Preparing a master plan for electricity infrastructure

Working on urban beautification to eliminate wire pollution and for a better lightening in the city

Working on eliminating climate change and its effects on the city for sustainable urban life while working on energy efficiency issues

Fighting efficiently against power theft and energy loss

Revising the LEED certificate via the Ministry of Public Works and applying that regulation as soon as possible while raising awareness among investors about this

issue

Raising awareness towards energy efficiency and environmental sustainability among the public

Suggestions from the Search Conference are:

Building models for financing double source and geographical extension

Improving energy efficiency culture

Ensuring effective communication among infrastructure intuitions for infrastructure excavation efficiency.

Assessing the current situation by collecting detailed data; determining energy consumption by sectors and making realistic projections.

Public/government institutions serving as models shall employ energy efficiency measures and lead the way for others.

Establishing independent energy agencies

Building the infrastructure for electric and hybrid cars

Adopting the smart grid infrastructure and developing policies for this transition.

Improving waste management and recycling operations

TOURISM AND ACCOMMODATION

Istanbul had 7,509,741 visitors in 2009. Paris, at the same year had a visitor population 4

times higher than Istanbul while London had 2.4 times higher than Istanbul. However,

average time spent in Istanbul decreased from 4 days (in 1990s) to 2.3 days (2008) which

implies that Istanbul functions more like a transfer location rather than as a final destination.

Major visitor destinations in Istanbul are concentrated on the European side in Fatih

(Eminn), Beyolu, ili and the Bosporus. Fatih (Eminn) stands out with sightseeing and

cultural facilities whereas Beyolu stands out for its restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs. The

international culture-art activities, concerts given by world wide known musicians as well as

professional theater, opera and ballet performances have been increasing the popularity of

Istanbul internationally in recent years.

Istanbul is one of the worlds most successful cities in providing accommodation. 2010

numbers indicate that there were 1,235 accommodation facilities, 69,762 rooms and 139,949

beds in Istanbul. Some of these are located in the historical peninsula while the others are

concentrated on the Beikta ili Beyolu axis. 69% of the bed capacity is concentrated

in 5 and 4 star hotels while 3 and 2 star hotels make up 19% of the bed capacity. Analyses

show that Istanbul can provide efficient accommodation especially for 5 star and 2 star hotels.

However, the city is weak in providing efficient accommodation at 3 and 4 star hotels which

are the most preferred types of hotels. Istanbul does not need investments in 5 star hotels as

the capacity including the ongoing projects can meet the current and future demands. On

the other hand, because there is still room for luxury hotels, there have been rising demands to

run such hotels by luxury boutique hotel brands. Such luxury hotel brands first prefer to locate

at the Bosporus then at the central locations in the city. Additionally, it is observed that 5 star

hotels choose to locate at the CBD following high business concentrations. Apart from the

CBD, new hotel investments are locating on the Yenibosna Axis on the European side and in

Pendik to be close to Sabiha Gken Airport on the Asian side.

Diversity and quality of tourism activities are positive contributions to a citys image.

Therefore, this advantage of Istanbul should be used to support IFM-Istanbul. Within this

context, strategies towards raising Istanbuls rank among global cities will contribute to the

IFM-Istanbul process. The proposals for this purpose are summarized as follow

Highlighting the cultural properties and making them visible in the urban silhouette while creating new cultural and art facilities

Increasing the number and quality of entertainment and catering facilities considering the user profile

Including IFM-Istanbul in the image studies done by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Increasing the bed capacities of 3 star hotels that are preferred the most especially by culture and convention visitors

Allocating spaces for accommodation in the planning process of IFM-Istanbuls potential clusters

CONVENTION

Istanbul is the major city of conventional tourism in Turkey. 85% of the conventions and

meetings organized in Turkey are held in Istanbul. The city also is an important node of

conventional tourism globally. In 1998, 17 international conferences and meetings were held

in the city. In 2009 this number increased to 80. That year, Istanbul ranked 17th among other

global cities in terms of conventions held in the city. Vienna (160), Barcelona (135) and Paris

(131) ranked as the first three cities in that list. On the other hand, Istanbul ranked as 4th

according to the participant numbers (75,768) that attend those conventions and meetings

where Vienna ranked as the first with 123,801 participants. This positive development in 2009

has been the result of World Water Summit and IMF-World Bank meetings organized in the

same year.

Conventions and meetings in the city are organized mostly at convention centers, fair centers,

4 and 5 star hotels and universities. Such convention facilities are concentrated at four main

locations which are the Convention Valley, Atatrk Airport and exhibition district, Hali and

the financial district (Bykdere-Maslak-Levent Axis). Although the Asian side is not very

strong in this subject, there have been considerable developments especially in Pendik-

Kartal. There are 11 meeting facilities, 117 meeting halls and 57,497 seats in Istanbul as of

2010. However, adding up the facilities that are not convention centers but can be used for

such meetings if needed, the number of facilities increases to 15 whereas the number of

meeting halls and seats increases to 151 and 155,357. Furthermore, adding up the seats

available for such meetings in 4 and 5 star hotels, the total seat capacity becomes 256,528. An

important advantage of Istanbul is the proximity of accommodation and convention facilities

which eliminates the traffic related problems considerably.

Istanbul has the capacity to meet the demands of any scale of conferences and meetings. The

city even has the capacity to meet the future demands considering the planned investments.

Thus, to preserve this advantage IFM-Istanbul will work along the strategies of conventional

tourism. Problems associated with conventional tourism in Istanbul are rather in the

advertisement than in the infrastructure related to it. Therefore, IFM-Istanbul will support

strategies for advertisement in this area.

EDUCATION

Qualified labor force is significant in the operation, competitiveness and productivity of the

financial and service industries. Therefore, improving the living standards and the education

infrastructure are essential to meet the qualified labor force demand and to keep the qualified

labor force in the city.

Besides an increase in the number of classrooms and sections, the number of schools which

were 1,266 in 2005 in Istanbul rose to 1,408 in 2010. However, the increase in the number of

students per classroom, -section and -teacher in official primary schools compared to the

previous years, show that there is still so much to do to reach the objectives despite the efforts

to improve the quality of education since 2005.

Although new schools have been built, the increase in the number of students per classroom

could not be prevented due to the increase in demand which is the result of migration, natural

population growth, difficulties in finding grounds for construction and insufficient subsidy.

Considering the number of students per teacher is 21.2 in London and 16.4 in Singapore and

the number of students per classroom is aimed to be 30 in primary schools, it could be

inferred that the districts Bakrky, Beikta and Saryer have high standards of education

while Baclar and Esenler have inadequate number of schools and teachers. Again the

standards are met in districts like Bakrky, Beikta and Saryer for secondary education -

considering the number of students per teacher is 15.1 in London and 18 in Zurich and the

number of students per classroom is aimed to be 30.

Within the framework of providing an international accreditation and a common curriculum,

the International Baccalaureate Program is being practiced in 139 countries by 3.083 schools

with over 880.000 students. However, in Turkey this program is being practiced only by 25

schools, 24 of them being private schools and one a state school.

School building investments of the Ministry of National Educations 2010 Investments Unit

Program, although being beneficial in terms of meeting the demand of the region, are thought

to be insufficient within the IFC-Istanbul framework since the objective of IFC-Istanbul is to

have at least one school with international accreditation in each potential financial cluster

district defined by the project (Maslak, Topkap, Kartal, Ataehir, Yenibosna). Additional

objectives are improving the quality of education and rehabilitation of school buildings,

investing in human resources to improve certain skills of teachers such as foreign language

ability, and providing the means for foreign born population to learn the Turkish language.

The Search Conference proposals other than the ones stated in the Analysis Report are

analyzing the residential location of financial center employees and investing in schools

accordingly; assisting foreign born students in terms of orientation and integration to the

system by national education policies; taking the necessary measures to ensure children from

abroad continue studying in Turkey without corruption; improving the competence of teachers

by training programs; and improving the quality of preschool institutions for foreign born

children of age 0-5.

HEALTH

The basic health indicators of 2001 - 2010 show that there has been considerable

improvement in public health measures in Istanbul. Maternal Mortality Rate which was 14.1

per 100,000 in 2002 fell to 12.9 in 2010. Infant Mortality Rate fell from 19.9 per 1,000 to 6.9.

The number of emergency service stations which was 44 in 2002 reached 145 and the number

of ambulances increased from 62 to 206.

There are 1,152 healthcare organizations, 26 of them being Training and Research Hospital,

25 of them being State Hospital, 899 of them being Family Health Center, 39 of them being

Public Health Center, 9 of them being Medical Faculty Hospital and 154 of them being

Private Hospital in Istanbul -where Family Practice Service started to be applied as of

November 2010. 5,476 specialists, 3,960 practitioners, 3,680 resident physicians, 747 dentists,

14,017 nurses and midwives are employed by these institutions.

The number of healthcare personnel increased with a rate of 123% since 2002. However,

there is still a need to improve the status quo and invest in human resources since the number

of people per doctor in Istanbul in 2008 was 1,120 while it was 300 in France (2007), 440 in

Britain (2007) and 500 in Japan (2007).

The total number of beds in the hospitals all over the city is 30,045 where 15,326 (%51) are in

public hospitals, 10,029 (%33) in private hospitals and 4,690 (%16) in medical faculty

hospitals. Accordingly, the number of beds per hospital is 333 in public- and medical faculty

hospitals whereas it is 65 in private hospitals. The number of beds per hospital is 140 in

medical faculty-, public and private hospitals all together.

Despite the investments in health sector -in the form of new constructions, restorations and

renovations of existing buildings- the IFC-Istanbul aims to improve the quality even more by

increasing the share of healthcare investments, the number of qualified beds in public and

private hospitals, the number of accredited hospitals, the number of qualified personnel with

foreign language skills; and by recruiting more personnel to the public healthcare institutions.

SAFETY - SECURITY

Although Istanbul houses relatively better conditions in terms of crime rate compared to other

global metropolitan areas, the lack of information sharing results in a misleading image.

Additionally, researches so far have shown that the actual crime rate is not directly related to

the fear of becoming a victim of crime and to the perception of security. Therefore, a

particular emphasis is required for the safe city image in Istanbul.

Istanbul ranks 16th among 26 cities with a rate of 18% crime victimhood. London has the

highest rate of crime victimhood with 32%. Following London are Amsterdam with 27%

ranking 3rd; New York with 23.2% ranking 7th and Hong Kong with 7% ranking 26th.

According to the findings of researches, the rate of people who feel safe on the streets of

Istanbul turned out to be among the lowest compared to EU cities (approximately 48%).

Istanbul also had the highest levels of fear of thieves breaking in. 2007 Urban Audit studies

show that Istanbul ranked the last among 75 European cities in terms of citizens feeling safe

in the city.

2009 Urban Age Project studies, on the other hand, showed that 18% of the citizens of

Istanbul felt safe. That ratio turned out to be 50% in London while it was 30% in Sao Paulo

though it has a higher rate of crime involving violence compared to Istanbul.

Istanbul has better conditions compared to many other metropolitan areas regarding individual

crimes rates. Yet researches show that individuals may develop concerns -growing inversely

in proportion to the official crime rates- that there is a potential for crime directed to

themselves and to their families. That is, the perception of safety among the citizens of

Istanbul (compared to the citizens of other metropolitan areas) is relatively lower. Therefore,

special emphasis should be put on endeavors to enhance the perception of safety.

Hence, it is crucial for Urban Safety to take certain measures in various fields and

implement them efficiently to reduce the fear of crime and to enhance the perception of

safety. Measures for increasing urban safety are categorized in ten groups,

Minimizing the negative psychological effects created by media

Improving urban environment and planning practices

Judiciary proposals

Social inclusion of the homeless and drug addicts

Emphasizing the safe city image in tourism and publicity

Maximizing traffic and social safety

Traffic trainings and public awareness rising

Increasing pedestrian safety and quality of life by establishing the required infrastructure for the disabled

Efficient coordination among units

Proposals for the security staff

NATURAL DISASTERS

Istanbul, being settled on the North Anatolian Fault Line, carries high risk of earthquake.

Seismic parameters tell that the probability of an earthquake of magnitude M=7.5 to hit

Istanbul in 20 years is 42% whereas it is 75% in 50 years. In addition to that, there are risks of

flooding in Istanbul. There are 247 valleys some of which are within the urbanized area in the

city. The surroundings of these valleys face risks of 25 year flooding.

Risk maps for potential clusters are included in the analysis report though mapping of some

districts are not finished yet. The proposals regarding natural disaster risks are as follow

Integrating institutions to the earthquake early warning system

Integrating natural disaster education to the school system and educating the public so that they can contribute to the recovery process in the aftermath of a disaster

Completion of Micro Zoning Projects,

Applying KDV tax exemptions for SMEP projects on improving public buildings and private property; and evaluating the Proposal Model Based on Building Depreciation

Value,

Developing initiatives for the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings,

Improving the energy infrastructure,

Providing sufficient equipment for medical aid tents to be used in any case of emergency,

Improving the compulsory earthquake insurance,

Moving risky industries out of the city,

Establishing the Flood Early Warning System (SEUS),

Planning with consideration to the effects of construction and modifications on creeks and on the drainage system.

Establishing separate rain water systems.

Below are the infrastructure proposals for natural disasters that came up during the Search

Conference:

Making risk analysis and preparing hazard maps also for other risks than earthquakes and floods,

Integrating studies done by different institutions and establishing the integrated disaster information system,

Designing emergency action plans and updating those plans regularly,

Considering job sustainability in works to be done,

Solving the power conflicts and filling the legal gaps among IMM, district municipalities and the branches of central government,

Accelerating the process of urban redevelopment based on disaster mitigation which will improve the safe city image of Istanbul as well

Planning for post-disaster period to ensure the safety of financial districts

Taking measures for sea vessel accidents in Bosporus,

Complying with the European Union Flood Directive

Reviewing the drainage systems according to the new rainfall trends,

Social vulnerability projects,

Considering the structures technical aspects and risk elements when determining the insurance premiums and coverage,

Applying a tax exemption-like method while re-building or strengthening buildings that have been determined to have heavy or mild damage instead of a fund like the

special consumption tax.