Urban Regeneration: An Example of Public Solution to Housing Acquisition of Low Income Groups

The Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), functions as an umbrella rather than a competing body in the housing sector of Turkey in awareness of its responsibility as a guiding, supervising and educating organization and undertakes a significant role in production prioritizing the demands and solvency of the target masses in need. In Turkey, important steps have been taken since 2002 to produce solutions at national scale to problems regarding housing and urbanization and to ensure adequate and quality housing production at urban spaces. “Emergency Action Plan for Housing and Urbanization” announced with the 58th Government of Turkey Programme was adopted in “1 January 2003”, and the targets of “renewal”, “transformation” and “quality housing production” being set, TOKİ was assigned the responsibility to implement the concerned plan. In order to raise funds for the housing projects of low and middle income groups, TOKİ develops innovative financial models. The profit of the projects under the model called ‘income (revenue) sharing model” is forwarded to the social type housing projects as the financial fund and within this context TOKİ continues its activities without taking any share from the general budget. As the problem of slums and shanty settlements cannot be solved through the efforts of the local governments only, TOKİ has been performing a comprehensive urban renewal/transformation activity backed by the central government to support urbanization and in cooperation with local administrations. As of September 2016; the number of houses started to be produced by TOKİ is 737.136. The production continues in 81 provinces on a total of 3.295 construction sites. 615.449 units are constructed as part of social type housing projects targeting low and middle income families. TOKİ, aims to meet 5-10% of the housing need of Turkey, which currently has been realized as 9%. “Disadvantaged groups” are TOKİ’s priority in social housing production. Low and medium income families constitute the main target, and separate quotas are allocated for the handicapped, martyr families, the disabled and the pensioners. The vision of TOKİ is to realize a new project target of 1,2 thousand houses by the end of 2023. TOKİ carries on its housing production activities throughout the country in view of priorities and needs; and production of houses with increased quality and characteristics rank first in the list of priorities of the Administration.