An Overview on Vulnerability and Disaster Management of Historical City Centers: The Case of Ankara Saraclar Street Fire

This study aims to develop a policy guideline for disaster management of business districts in historical centres with respect to the fire event realized in the Saraclar Street of Ulus historical city centre of Ankara on February 21, 2012. Departing from the disaster in Ulus city centre and following experience, the study focuses on the factors that affect urban vulnerability and the development of disaster mitigation strategies for historical business districts. The study combines the case of Saraclar Street fire and the literature on conservation of cultural properties, urban vulnerability, business continuity and disaster management in historical urban settings. The main argument of the study is that as well as the problems caused by the physical and spatial characteristics of historical city centres, the problems led by the business activities contribute to the urban risk production. Planning history of the area was investigated in order to explain the formation of spatial pattern, socio-economic structure, and business activity; and the factors that contribute to the production of urban vulnerability were analysed. This investigation argues that spatial structure produces vulnerability factors with respect to the problems related with building order, accessibility and infrastructure; the determinants of vulnerability of socio-economic structure relate with the user characteristics of historical city centre and limited regeneration capacity of economic and political order; and business operations increase vulnerability of historical centres due to their business characteristics and user attraction nature. Accordingly, disaster management policies addressing to historical city centres are put forward with respect to the conservation of historical sites and continuity of economic activity