Ankara Urban Renewal 2026: Demolish or Strengthen?

Ankara sits at lower design accelerations on Türkiye's seismic hazard map than Istanbul or İzmir, yet the capital's pre-1999, undocumented or uninspected building stock is large. Türkiye is estimated to have around 6 million at-risk independent units, and Ankara holds a significant share. In 2026 renewal declarations accelerated in Altındağ, Mamak, Keçiören and Çankaya, and owners keep asking the same question: demolish and rebuild, or is strengthening enough?

This guide covers the current picture in Ankara, the 2026 support amounts and how to decide between strengthening and rebuilding on objective criteria.

Priority Areas in Ankara

• Altındağ — the oldest residential fabric in the city centre; masonry and low-grade concrete, many risk-area declarations.
• Mamak — former squatter areas; block-based schemes under the New Mamak project.
• Keçiören — dense 1980–2000 apartment stock; strong plot-by-plot demand.
• Çankaya — 40–50-year-old apartments on valuable land; where strengthening and rebuilding are compared most often.

Beyond these, the 1990s cooperative estates of Etimesgut and Yenimahalle, with relatively sound frames, are the best candidates for strengthening.

2026 Support in Ankara

There is no Istanbul-style Half on Us grant campaign in Ankara; the Ministry's general instruments under Law No. 6306 apply:

If you are curious about the grant-heavy Istanbul model, see our "Half on Us" guide for Istanbul; in Ankara the financing plan relies mostly on loans and owner contributions. Owners who also have a building in Istanbul can see the total grant and loan instantly with our support calculator.

Strengthen or Rebuild? Decision Table

The right decision rests on the performance analysis report of a licensed institution. If it says "demolition required", the debate is over; if it says "can be strengthened", these criteria apply:

In industry practice, once strengthening exceeds half of the rebuild cost, rebuilding is considered more rational, because a new building brings new services, insulation and zoning advantages.

Strengthening Methods Used in Ankara

• Added reinforced-concrete shear walls — the most common method; new walls and foundation ties are added to the existing frame.
• Carbon-fibre (CFRP) wrapping — ductility increase in columns and beams; fast and possible without vacating, but not sufficient alone for heavily damaged members.
• Steel bracing and frame reinforcement — economical for masonry and low-rise concrete buildings.
• Column jacketing and foundation strengthening — may be required in areas with problematic ground (the stream beds of Mamak and Altındağ).

Our Building Renovation and Strengthening service covers performance analysis, strengthening design, permits and execution under one contract; in most projects residents stay in place.

The Cost of Delay

TurkStat's July 2026 Construction Cost Index rose 28.33% year on year, with labour up 30.51% — the fastest-rising item. Strengthening is labour-intensive: a budget of 100 units today can reach 125–130 for the same scope next year. Buildings that decide this autumn in Ankara can complete works before the 2027 winter season.

Quality Criteria When Rebuilding

Where demolition is decided, the 2018 Turkish Seismic Code requires C30+ concrete, ductile detailing and foundation design based on a soil survey. We covered these in modern engineering for earthquake-safe housing. For the rebuild itself, the contracting model on our urban renewal solutions page lets Ankara owners keep their land share and build at a fixed price.

Energy efficiency belongs in the decision as well: insulation, heat pumps and solar infrastructure in the new building meet sustainable housing criteria and permanently cut running costs.

Process Steps in Ankara

1. Risk / performance analysis report from a licensed institution.
2. Owners' assembly: strengthening or rebuild decision (simple majority).
3. Strengthening design or architectural-structural design; district municipality permit.
4. Ministry loan and rent-support applications (Ankara Provincial Directorate).
5. Execution: strengthening 3–6 months, rebuild 12–18 months.
6. Occupancy permit and removal of the title-deed annotation.

Working with Savaş Grup in Ankara

Across our strengthening and rebuild projects throughout Türkiye we prepare the site survey, the interpretation of the performance report and a comparative budget for both options free of charge. Share your building report and talk to our expert team; we will show in numbers which option is rational for you.