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Postmortem

Part 2 Project 2024
Jakub Duda
University of Dundee | UK
Postmortem, or ‘after-death’, is an analysis or a discussion of an event after it had occurred. One could argue that the city of Kahramanmaraş, having been severely damaged by the Türkiye-Syria earthquake in February 2023, stands now at a precipice where an ill-conceived approach to reconstruction may cement its’ metaphorical demise. Profit-driven development has reared its’ head in many urban regeneration projects in Türkiye over the years. The recent earthquake appears to be yet another excuse for land expropriation, commodification of space and further displacement. Not to mention lacklustre building code enforcement which only exacerbated the vulnerability of cities during the disaster. All of the above issues are personified by the red letter - a notice of demolition seen on many doors around the Divanli neighbourhood in Kahramanmaras - the site of this project.

Placed within this context, this project aims to conduct a thorough analysis of its’ site and present an alternative approach to earthquake reconstruction – one which prioritises preservation of cultural identity and creation of differential social space, while providing autonomy in housing construction. Through championing the superiority of use-values over material-values, the project aims to establish a more socially sustainable and human-centric attitude to rebuilding.


Tutor(s)

2024
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