Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which entered 2023 with many investment plans ranging from transportation to infrastructure, from the environment to historical and cultural heritage, launched a great mobilization with all its energy to heal the wounds after the earthquakes that caused great destruction in 6 provinces on February 11.
The Metropolitan Municipality, which established soup kitchens in Gaziantep's Nurdağı and İslahiye districts in the first week of the earthquake and left no stone unturned to deliver aid in the region, focused on Hatay from the second week of the earthquake. The Metropolitan Municipality, which took on the tasks of distributing aid, creating living spaces with container cities and installing mobile toilets, created living spaces consisting of 3 containers in 2000 different regions in Hatay. All units and subsidiaries of the Metropolitan Municipality, especially the fire brigade for search and rescue, BUSKİ for infrastructure repair, BURFAŞ for hot food and food distribution, BESAŞ for bread supply, Jeothermal A.Ş. for water supply, Tarım Peyzaj A.Ş. for fruit supply. joined the mobilization. Since the first day of the earthquake, more than 2500 personnel and nearly 700 vehicles have worked hard to heal the wounds in the disaster areas. The Metropolitan Municipality, which also undertook the restoration of the Antakya Grand Mosque, one of the symbolic works of Hatay, which was completely destroyed in the earthquake, continues its work there uninterruptedly.
INVESTMENTS HAVE NOT SLOWED DOWN
The Metropolitan Municipality, which spent most of its energy to heal the wounds of the disaster, did not slow down in investments that would carry Bursa to a healthy future. Considering transportation as the main priority, the Metropolitan Municipality renewed the South Canal Bridges on the Ankara Road throughout the year and opened the completed Balıkdere Bridge to transportation. Approximately 6,5 kilometers of City Hospital connection road, DOSAB junction, Courthouse Junction, Fuat Kuşçuoğlu Bridge and Yunuseli canal bridges and the missing turn arm of Filament Junction were completed and opened to traffic. In addition to these large-scale projects, asphalt renewal works continued throughout the year on important boulevards and streets of the city, especially on the Ankara road. In 2023, the Metropolitan Municipality carried out 320 thousand tons of asphalt pavement and patching on a 430-kilometer route, and 875 kilometers of surface coating.
EXAMPLE INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE
Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which sets an example for Turkey in this field with its efforts to reduce the loss-leak rate in drinking water to 20 percent, continued its infrastructure investments uninterrupted throughout 2023. While the Foundation Package Drinking Water Treatment Plant, which was built to raise the standard of well water during periods of drought, was completed and put into service, work was also started on the Osmangazi Demirtaş Package Drinking Water Treatment Plant, which will serve approximately 52 thousand population in Doğanevler and İsmetiye neighborhoods with a daily capacity of 400 thousand cubic meters. The construction of Orhaneli, Büyükorhan, Keles, Orhangazi and Karacabey Yeniköy Wastewater Treatment Facilities has been largely completed. Production has started in the works to bring Çınarcık Dam water to the city center. Within the scope of the works carried out by BUSKİ, 2023 kilometers of drinking water, 17 kilometers of sewage and 725 kilometers of rain water were produced in 185 districts in 55. While 9 kilometers of stream improvement and 30 kilometers of stream cleaning were carried out throughout the year, 3 packaged drinking water treatment plants, 35 water tanks and 22 irrigation facilities and ponds were brought to Bursa.
CONTINUE TRANSFORMATION
The Metropolitan Municipality, which continues its urban transformation projects in 7 different regions uninterruptedly in order to make Bursa an earthquake-resistant city, completed the first stages of the transformations in two different regions in 2023. Aiming to create safe living spaces for the people of Bursa with earthquake-resistant residences by improving the worn-out structures over time, the Metropolitan Municipality completed the first phase of the urban transformation of Yiğitler, Esenevler and 75. Yıl Districts, consisting of 104 residences and 16 shops, and delivered it to the rightful owners.
The construction of 193 residences, 118 offices and 30 shops was completed in the first phase of the Urban Transformation Project, which was initiated to give a modern appearance to Istanbul Street, which is Bursa's gateway to Istanbul, but where visual pollution is experienced with 'unplanned buildings and irregular repair shops'.
Following the completion of the first stages of the Istanbul Street and Yiğitler urban transformation projects, construction works have started in the Karapınar Urban Transformation Project. While it is planned to build 138 residences and 600 shops on a total area of 3 square meters, 600 residences and 300 shops will be built in the Karapınar 1st stage project, which is one of the first legs of the project.
The crisis in the 1050 Houses Urban Transformation, the transformation of which has been talked about for years but has not made any progress so far, was resolved with the plan change made by the Metropolitan Municipality. While the demolition in the area has been largely completed, the transformation in this region has started in 2023.
YOUTH AND SPORTS INVESTMENTS
The year 2023 was also full for Bursa in terms of youth and sports investments. 'Bursa Muş Brotherhood Youth and Education Center', Yenibağlar Youth and Sports Facility, Akçalar and İnegöl Cerrah Football Fields, Aşık Veysel Youth Center, Archery Facility, Mudanya and İnegöl Youth Centers, Mustafakemalpaşa Youth Center Social Life and Sports Facilities, which were completed by the Metropolitan Municipality. and Mudanya Şükrü Çavuş Family Support Center was put into service. Görükle Youth Center, Millet District Youth and Sports Facilities, Demirtaş Youth and Sports Center, Emek Hatice Kübra İlgün Sports Facility, Havuzlu Park, Uludağ University Youth and Sports Center and Gürsu Yenidoğan Youth and Sports Center, which are under construction, are also included in the youth sports investments of the Metropolitan Municipality. There were new rings added.
The Metropolitan Municipality, which has always supported sports and athletes in Bursa, provided a total of 2023 million liras of cash support to 520 sports clubs in 4,5, and continued the ground renewal works of the fields used by amateur clubs throughout the year.
While Hocataşkın and Demirtaş Baby Beds were added to the Baby Beds, which have become an important brand of the Metropolitan Municipality in pre-school education, in 2023, the construction of the Baby Bed buildings to be added to Yunuseli, Üçevler and Kestel has been largely completed.
BURSA IS BREATHING
The Metropolitan Municipality's investments that will bring Bursa together with 'green' again did not slow down in 2023. Within the scope of the works, Hacıvat Park, Demirtaş Recreation Area, Üçevler Park, Aşık Veysel Park were brought to the city as new green areas where the people of Bursa can breathe. While both sides of Gökdere have been transformed into a green corridor with landscaping arrangements, the renovation works of Teoman Özalp Park and Martyr Erhan Öztürk Park, which bears the name of the late Mehmet Turgut Ünlü, who was mayor of Orhangazi for 4 terms, have also been largely completed. . In addition to all these, the Bursa National Garden was brought to the Emet District of Kütahya by the Metropolitan Municipality.
HISTORY FOUND ITS VALUE
Within the scope of historical and cultural heritage investments, 2023 was the year when a 40-year dream came true in Bursa. Following the demolition of 39 buildings surrounding the Historical Bazaar and Inns Area, Sağrıcı Sungur Masjid in the region was literally born from the ashes. In addition, Ertuğrulbey Square was made worthy of Bursa with environmental arrangements.
Bursa Mevlevi Lodge, which was founded by Cünûnî Ahmed Dede in 1 by the order of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, was closed by law in 1615, was used for different purposes for a while and was abandoned to its fate, and its sections except the mausoleum were destroyed, and was revived by the Metropolitan Municipality with its original identity. The building, which consists of 1925 sections: 'Semahane', 'Türbe, Meydan-ı Şerif and Matbah-ı Şerif' and 'Dedegan Cells and Selamlık', added value to Bursa with its unique identity.
As part of the work in the Iznik district, which is the only place sent from Turkey as a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage List, the restoration of the Istanbul and Yenişehir Gates on the walls has been completed, and the work on opening the Roman Theater to visitors has also come to an end. The restoration of the Agricultural School, one of Bursa's well-established educational institutions, was completed in 2023.
The demolition of the building, located in the area where the Süleyman Çelebi Complex will be built in Bursa and used as the Metropolitan Municipality Presidential Residence for 63 years, has been completed. Within the scope of the project to be implemented by the Metropolitan Municipality, the 28 thousand square meter area, including the 'Presidential Residence', will be opened to the public with the National Garden, Siyer and Mevlid-i Şerif Center, masjid, book-café and recreation areas.
METROPOLITAN CITY IS EVERYWHERE
The Metropolitan Municipality, which showed a significant performance in 17 districts as well as the city center throughout the year, brought a lake view facility to Büyükorhan, a gas station and fire station to Karacabey, and a covered market area to Yenişehir, and completed the roof arrangement in Yenişehir Balibey Bazaar. The Metropolitan Municipality, which opened the Güneybudaklar Neighborhood Service Building, transformed the Gemlik Kurşunlu Beach into a privileged promenade, and with its beach landscaping works, it brought the blue flag to the İznik İnciraltı and Karacabey Kurşunlu beaches in 2023.
WE DID NOT COMPROMISE ON INVESTMENT
Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş reminded that the effects of the pandemic were felt in 2020, albeit slightly compared to 2021 and 2022, and that they started 2023 with the motto of 'harvest year', and said that 2023 started with the disaster of the century. Noting that they worked hard to heal the wounds in the disaster area in almost the first half of the year, Mayor Aktaş said, “Despite all this, we never compromised on our investments. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is "no place left untouched" in Bursa's 17 districts and 1060 neighborhoods. Even though there were disruptions in some of our investments, we brought many investments to Bursa, from transportation to urban transformation, from the environment to historical heritage. We will continue to build the future of Bursa without compromising our goals in the new year. "I hope 2024 will be a healthy and peaceful year filled with abundance and abundance," he said.
