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Little Apocalypse
While “little apocalypse” might sound a bit cute, it is the name of an event that certainly wasn’t cute at all. Kiyamet-i sugra was what the giant, devastating earthquake was called, that hit Istanbul in 1509, killing about ten percent of the inhabitants and leaving many more homeless. It is said that the “Big One” will hit Istanbul every 500 years, as the city lies only 10 kilometers from the North Anatolian Fault. At the same time, the region is growing enormously, land prices are high, and thousands of residential buildings have been built too tall, too fast, and too cheaply. Recent studies have indicated that three million houses could collapse and about 300,000 people would die if the “little apocalypse” happens again.
City officials came up with a giant plan to demolish large parts of the most endangered (small-scale, cheap, old) city quarters and rebuild them to be earthquake-safe. Self-demolition before devastation? This might sound like a bold, sensible idea, but most of all the urban renewal schemes bring higher rents, forcing poor people into the distant suburbs. So maybe this is just an excuse for a quick profit before the Big One?
Illustration (details): Hand-colored woodcut of the Istanbul earthquake on 10 May, 1509. The Hagia Sofia and other buildings were heavily damaged, with many fatalities. A comet sighted on 5 March, 1556 remained visible for 12 days. (Printed by Herman Gall in Nuremburg, 1556. Private collection.)
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Robert Venturi
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