Istanbul's urban area grows 75 pct in 10 years: Study

A recent study using an earth tracking system shows that Istanbul has undergone a massive transformation over the past decade, with its urban area growing by about 75 percent.

"We can see new roads, bridges, and dams being built, along with changes in residential neighborhoods," Professor Dr. Şenol Hakan Kutoğlu from Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University's Geomatics Engineering Department explained, underlining extensive urban transformation the city has witnessed since 2014.

While the city expanded northward during these 10 years, the coastal regions of the province mostly remained unchanged, according to Kutoğlu.

Kutoğlu also shared details about the earth-tracking system he and his team developed using satellite data.

"With the application, we are now able to handle 12-day data from radar satellites in real time," he said, noting that radar satellites finish their orbit around the globe once every 12 days.

"This application makes it feasible to acquire a comprehensive view of a region's landscape and analyze the changes," Kutoğlu pointed out. The application, therefore, allows users to view various changes in a province, with red-marked spots signifying locations that have undergone alterations, according to Kutoğlu.

Kutoğlu further pointed out that in Istanbul, these red-marked areas could indicate newly built gardens, parks, or the urbanization of existing structures.