Major Changes to Zoning Regulation

The updated Planned Areas Development Regulation introduced a mandatory Green Certificate requirement for public and private buildings of a certain size.

As a result of the work of the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, new measures have been implemented to address energy and water constraints, identified as the most important challenges of the future. Accordingly, the scope of mandatory implementation of rainwater and greywater systems in public buildings and private structures of a certain size has been expanded. This is aimed at saving water equivalent to Lake Mogan in 1.5 years.

The amendments to the Planned Areas Development Regulation included important updates on sustainability. While the new Regulation brings critical environmental sustainability changes to public and private buildings, Dr. Emre Ilıcalı, Managing Partner of Altensis, a leading European sustainability management company, emphasized that this update represents a turning point for Turkey's urbanization and green transformation goals.

The Regulation will apply to structures built after 1 January 2026
With the update, a mandatory Green Certificate requirement has also been introduced. From 1 January 2026 onwards, new public buildings with a total construction area exceeding 10,000 square meters will be required to hold YeS-TR certification. This arrangement will provide approximately 600 million kilowatt-hours of annual energy savings, equivalent to one month of energy production from the Keban Dam.

Additionally, greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to 50 million kilograms, corresponding to 8 hectares of forest area, will be achieved, resulting in TRY 800 million in savings. In Green Certified buildings, the use of recycled materials will prevent economic losses. The use of environmentally labeled materials with low chemical and radiation emissions will result in more comfortable and healthier buildings. Sharing his views on the matter, Altensis Managing Partner Dr. Emre Ilıcalı stated: "The proliferation of green buildings is a major step in terms of energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions in public projects. However, what we need to pay attention to is the proper oversight of certification processes and ensuring that buildings truly meeting the requirements obtain these certificates. Otherwise, the value and credibility of the certificate could be damaged."

A critical step
Emphasizing that climate-based developments will become one of the world's biggest problems in the near future, Dr. Emre Ilıcalı said the regulation update represents an important turning point for Turkey's sustainable urbanization and green transformation goals. Particularly drawing attention to the water conservation-focused regulatory provisions, Ilıcalı stated: "Rainwater and greywater systems were mandatory in the past. However, now the scope has been expanded. This situation will enable more efficient use of water resources and contribute to the ecological balance of cities, while reducing problems related to rainwater infrastructure in urban areas."

Dr. Emre Ilıcalı made the following assessment regarding the Planned Areas Development Regulation amendments: "The Green Certificate application will have a direct impact on reducing carbon emissions by promoting energy savings in public buildings. Strengthening electric vehicle charging infrastructure will reduce fossil fuel dependency and open the door to a carbon-neutral future in transportation. Expanding accessible children's playgrounds through an inclusive urbanization approach is a critical step that strengthens not only the environmental but also the social dimension of sustainable cities. In the past, particularly in buildings, the installation of charging stations could face some bureaucratic obstacles. With the new update, these processes related to charging stations appear to have been simplified. Of course, in any case, we must not compromise on proper technical practices and necessary oversight procedures."