Istanbul’s Vulnerability to Climate Change: An Urban Sectors’ Based Assessment

Istanbul is a center of national and international trade, culture and tourism. Istanbul with its high population, migration rate, being economic and cultural center plays an important role in adaptation and mitigation to climate change effects. Any climate based adverse impact to Istanbul would be destructive for both the city and Turkey. For the sustainability of vital economic, social activities, increasing the resilience of the city is essential. Although Istanbul has an advantage with its economic and social structure, it is highly vulnerable to any destructive external stresses. This study aims to investigate the vulnerability of 11 selected sectors on climate change including health, water resources, energy, transportation, agriculture, public safety, land use and development, materials, infrastructure, ecology and biodiversity and culture of Istanbul. These sectors are examined in 25 selected planning areas with regard to Istanbul’s sectorial development strategies. Those sectors and planning areas may be affected by climate change and critical to health of citizens and the economic viability of the city. Vulnerability assessment defined by ICLEI in the publication of “Preparing for Climate Change; A Guidebook for Local, Regional and State Governments” is deployed as a framework in order to measure the vulnerability of the selected sectors. Using the multi-dimensional methodology, the study aims to develop a vulnerability index and aims to rank the sectors according to their index values. The results of the study reveal the most vulnerable sectors of climate change in Istanbul that address the pathways for the future resilience studies.