Housing for all — a better urban future

Cyprus International University (CIU), Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture (FFDA) Vice Dean and Department of Architecture Chair, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cemil Atakara, talking within the scope of World Architecture Day, stated that the urban policies being prepared should be planned to include sufficient shelter, clean air, water and quality space for everyone.

Explaining that the International Union of Architects (IUA) chose this year’s theme as “Housing For All — A Better Urban Future,” Atakara noted that the process experienced all over the world due to the Covid-19 epidemic, resulted in the reshaping of social life and living spaces in parallel.

“Different needs appeared.”
Stating that urban planning and architecture are of great importance for a better future, Assoc. Prof Dr. Atakara emphasized that the policies in question should be planned in a way that includes all.

Reminding that at times, global epidemics keep people from their social lives and confine them to their personal living spaces, Atakara stated, “every individual needs social spaces. During the periods of quarantine, people realized that they had different needs beyond their personal living spaces. Their homes had become not just places of shelter, but took on new functions such as becoming their work spaces, places of education and sporting areas.”

Drawing attention to the need to increase the rate of green areas, which are one of the most important living spaces, Atakara said rearranging the proportion of social areas relative to the population, is inevitable.

Social spaces according to the new world conditions…
Stating that it is important for state policies to be determined and stable in order to raise the living standards in cities, Atakara continued as follows: Especially water, shelter and security policies and social life policies parallel to this, are the most important elements of the existence of the society in the new world. It is inevitable that social living spaces will be reshaped according to the new world conditions, because the human being is a social being, and needs quality social spaces to survive.