Risk perception in istanbul: An earthquake-prone city

Risk perception on natural hazards in Turkey has been an emerging topic after of 1999 Kocaeli and Duzce earthquakes. The motivation lies behind the fact that it was the first time in the Turkish history, disaster mitigation had been considered as the responsibility of not only the government, but also all stake holders. Therefore, awareness campaigns, public participation, volunteering and increasing individual capacity against earthquakes have become hot topics to have a fresh start in building resilient communities. This paper aims to reveal earthquake risk perception and preparedness level of Istanbul residents. The results of two recent surveys on risk perception which were conducted in 2008 and 2013 are evaluated according to measures taken, willingness to pay for a safer house and trust to authorities. The findings of both surveys underline that there is an improvement in risk perception and measures taken to reduce risks related with earthquakes.