Post-Disaster Urbanization Process And Regional Development With PPP Model

We have entered a period where a roadmap ad action steps need to be worked out for the rebuilt process

Having affected 16 per cent of Türkiye’s population, 14 million people, and wrecked 11 of our cities within a nine-hour interval, the greatest natural disaster in our recent history has led to a pain that is still very new and grave.

We will have a future where a region of our country will be remembered by an earthquake. However, we have entered a phase where we need to shed the sense of surprise and trepidation and work on the roadmap and action steps with regard to the rebuilt process. How will we overcome this challenging, massive, financial, and psychological threshold ahead? The balance sheet of the earthquake exceeds USD 50 billion in the best scenario and USD 100 billion in the worst scenario. As the days pass, the financial burdens that will worsen this picture will keep deepening.

Can the public-private partnership model be a solution to the rebuilt of the region after this earthquake?

First of all, there is a point that must be underlined. The post-earthquake situation seems financially manageable, yet, major radical moves are required in macro policies. Identification and management of disaster risks, preparedness for possible risks and management of reconstruction processes are performed through various models in different countries. The USA, Canada, Indonesia, and, of course, Japan lead the way in this field. Japan’s relationship with the earthquakes is well known. Following years of bitter experience, the Sendai Framework was prepared after the Sendai earthquake in 2015 and was adopted at the UN General Assembly with the participation of 187 countries in the same year. Japan is a very significant example in this field. The “Invest in risk reduction and rebuild better” approach
they follow stands out for resilience in this regard. However, it is of utmost importance to create a resilient society that has reached “permanent awareness” as well as resilient buildings.

The Sendai Framework was prepared after the Sendai earthquake in 2015 and was adopted at the UN General Assembly with the participation of 187 countries in the same year

Experts discuss the preparedness and awareness part of the earthquake in-depth. Let us focus on which step to take in post-earthquake rebuilt. It is to establish effective cooperation that will bring together social solidarity and financial resources that are most needed in order to leave the earthquake behind with reconstruction.

The greatest need following the earthquake is the basic physiological needs, which consist of shelter and food, and the need for security, which consists of family, body, job, and protection. For these services, a model should be developed that can be monitored by both local and international institutions and the public. Besides the fact that these services may be provided through public resources and aid resources collected specifically for the earthquake, different alternatives such as effective governance, stakeholder coordination,
and cooperation with the private sector should also be considered. For example, the Public Private Partnership (PPP)
Model has the potential to offer significant, innovative and fast solutions for recovery after the disaster.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model has the potential to offer significant, innovative and fast solutions

The combination of finance, management, talent and manpower resources is critical. Involving the private sector in the investment and management skills necessary for recovery, as well as the helping power of the private sector, will increase the quality of the duration, structure and traceability of the steps to be taken. A typical governance-based collaboration model should be developed. This way, it will be possible to develop a more effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategy. Grounded on the PPP model, the DRR strategy bases off of a setup that brings together all the competencies of the public and private sectors. In this setup, while the private sector creates finance for the business items it is willing to invest, the public determines the standards, encourages the private sector for structuring within its possibilities, lays out the master plan, monitors, audits, and informs the public.

In the course of undertaking these services, the common sharing of risks and outputs, such as the sharing of duties, is taken as a basis. In this way, it is ensured that knowledge, experience and basic competencies are shared between public and private institutions by establishing a partnership that will include all stakeholders. Clearly setting forth its future steps, this vision has the potential to attract a significant amount of investments from abroad. We can turn this picture that emerged after the earthquake, especially in 11 provinces, into a new recovery through multi-stakeholder cooperation. Involving the private sector, civil society, local initiatives and local people in rebuilt through a regular organization will accelerate the regional development process. We have the possibility of turn the provinces damaged in the earthquake into the safest, most sustainable, green, smart, livable and enviable cities in Türkiye.