Learning from Nature: Recommendations for the Process of Rebuilding Antakya After the 6th February Earthquakes

Abstract

Nature-based planning and design approaches have become one of the main strategies for the reconstruction of cities under disaster risk in terms of sustainability and resilience principles. In this study, the spatial relationship between ecological vulnerability and earthquake risk in the Antakya district of Hatay province, which was severely devastated by the Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023, was revealed, and ecological vulnerability areas under earthquake hazard were mapped with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based analyses. The method used in the study is based on multi-layered spatial analysis. Layers such as CORINE land use, lithology, slope, and distance to fault lines were weighted by expert assessments. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and weighted registration methods were applied. Building data digitised from Google Earth Pro images and post-earthquake demolition data (Basarsoft) were overlaid, and the level of overlap of the structures destroyed in the earthquake with both physical risk and ecological sensitivity areas was evaluated. According to the findings, 18.7% of the structures are located in high-risk areas in terms of earthquakes, while 9.4% are located in ecologically sensitive areas. These results emphasize the necessity of nature-based spatial decision support systems in reducing disaster risks. The model presented in this paper is expected to guide both post-disaster urban planning and the protection of ecological integrity and enable the development of concrete recommendations for a sustainable, nature-sensitive and resilient Antakya.