involved the clearance of older neighborhoods; the creation of an inner-city freeway required the demolition of large sections of Beyoglu; the new highway along the Bosphorus cut off the older villages from their natural links with the water. And in the process of modernization and improvement, some of the social and economic inequalities have become more visibly entrenched in the urban landscape. Thus the deluxe hotels and conference centers and the luxury villas along the Bosphorus stand in sharp contrast to the generic blocks of apartments and the temporary housing and unpaved roads of the newer gecekondus.
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A new project to raise earthquake awareness

Kandilli Observatory initiates a project to inform people about earthquakes with a mascot called Sismail, while there are no serious measures to strengthen or renew weak buildings in Istanbul, which awaits a big disaster in the near future

Living under the perpetual shadow of an anticipated earthquake that will lay waste to Europe's biggest metropolis Istanbul, a new project to raise awareness in society on earthquakes will launch in October – eight years after the great Marmara earthquake that killed more than 17,00 people.

Sensitivity to Earthquake Project, organized by Boğaziçi University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute aims to lessen possible loss of life and property by “making people realize the danger and take necessary measures,” said project coordinator Professor Niyazi Türkelli, at a media presentation introducing the project. The project will try to contribute to “creating a culture of being protected from earthquakes,” as well.

Supported by the metropolitan municipality and the governor's office, the project will be the first to directly address people and inform them, in a country where 40 percent of its provinces face a very high earthquake risk. Earthquake training trucks that have been prepared for the project will first cover Istanbul as the pilot region and then move to other regions. A Web site with comprehensive information about earthquakes will be launched, while activities like short film competitions and theater plays will be held in cooperation with schools. The mascot of the project, Sismail – whose name is the combination of the word seismology and a male Turkish name İsmail, will also help in attracting the interest of children.