Following two devastating earthquakes in February 2023, Antakya, Turkey, was left in ruins, with thousands of residents displaced. The city, known for its vibrant streets and historical buildings, now faces an enormous rebuilding process. A consortium of architects, led by Foster and Partners, was selected to create a rebuilding plan. The consortium includes SOUR Studio, based in New York and Istanbul, who are leading field research in the project with an approach that reflects a paradigm shift in how cities can be designed in the aftermath of disasters.
SOUR Studio focuses on fostering communities where healing, resilience, and human dignity are central to the urban fabric. By adopting a more empathetic and trauma-informed approach, a new standard for urban regeneration is set. Understanding the necessity of centring the community and its lived experiences, SOUR facilitated a co-design process that started with field research and ethnographic interviews in Antakya, Samandağ, Serinyol, and Defne Harbiye. The interviews took place with 60+ locals with diverse cultures and socio-economic backgrounds.
This research was carried out in collaboration with psychologists, anthropologists, and trauma experts to ensure a responsible and trauma-informed practice. Through field research, SOUR identified a co-creation panel, representative of diverse stakeholder groups, to continue the co-design process through ideations and preliminary concept feedback.
Insights from this research were compiled into a comprehensive report and documentary, which informed the next stages of work and the overall master plan. The design process continued with advisory from a co-creation panel, which included experts with diverse lived and professional experiences to ensure authentic outcomes for the communities.
Outcomes from the field interviewing included a desire for safe places with social interaction and places to run, sweat, and escape, as well as ways of connecting with the past, present and future, a variety of materials, and a lack of hard edges but rather grey spaces and transitional spaces with a gradient of experiences and layers. Design guiding decisions include the use of less industrial material with an emphasis on more natural materials such as wood, natural fibres and fabrics, creating gentle transitions and thresholds between indoor/outdoor public/private, human scale, including niches and nooks, daylight throughout the day, providing fresh air and inviting the outdoors in.
These principles manifest in SOUR's subsequent 'Revitalization of Hatay' as part of the Antakya scheme. Covering 76,108 square meters, the project is now at a detailed design phase. In collaboration with the Türkiye Design Council, SOUR's multidisciplinary team, led by Inanc Eray and Pinar Guvenc, has been responsible for designing a plan that integrates residential, commercial, and landscape elements. The project also brings together an impressive array of collaborators, from structural and mechanical engineers to landscape architects and community experts, ensuring a holistic and well-rounded approach.
