Is the assembly area big enough? First look at who decides, and by what measure

In AFAD’s definition, assembly areas are safe places where people can gather away from the danger zone after a disaster, to prevent panic and allow reliable exchange of information until relief teams are ready. They are not the same as shelter or evacuation areas, and are designated by different criteria.

The distinction matters: an assembly area is not somewhere to stay, but the meeting point for the first hours. Its adequacy should be judged against that job.

According to AFAD, assembly area locations are designated by the relevant municipality according to seven criteria. Article 53 of Municipal Law No. 5393 also tasks municipalities with preparing the necessary emergency plans for fires, industrial accidents, earthquakes and other natural disasters, teams and equipment, taking local characteristics into account.

The Istanbul provincial AFAD directorate’s statement of 15 November 2020 lists the criteria as follows:

• Population density in the area
• How easily the area can be reached and evacuated
• Accessibility, as far as possible, for disabled and older people
• Distance from secondary hazards
• Location on level, even ground where possible
• Close to housing, but out of reach of structural and non-structural hazards
• Proximity to facilities that can meet basic needs such as electricity, water and toilets

Photo: Nerea Martí Sesarino · Unsplash License

The same statement puts the Istanbul-wide average at 1.29 m² of assembly area per person, with a goal of raising it above 2 m². According to the statement, new or strengthened school yards meeting minimum standards were also being designated as assembly areas for this purpose.

The statement also reports 3,021 assembly areas in Istanbul and 18,910 nationwide at the time. These figures date from 2020; for the current picture, check the institutions’ own announcements.

In our view, space per person depends on which population goes into the denominator: the whole neighbourhood, or those who can reach the area on foot in reasonable time? That is why “ease of access” in the criteria cannot be separated from the area calculation.

A map showing this ratio should also state which population, which date’s data and which measure it uses. Readers should be able to see not just the result, but how it was built.

• It does not declare any assembly area “adequate” or “inadequate”.
• The official source for finding your own assembly area is e-Devlet.
• It is not emergency guidance; follow AFAD for current announcements.