Reunion with the Sea: İskenderun Waterfront Urban Design Project

The İskenderun waterfront is the city’s face to the sea – the place where the city has long woven its bond with the wind and the horizon. Yet, after the earthquake of February 6, 2023, this bond was wounded; collapses occurred along the coast, and areas filled with water were inundated. As part of an emergency intervention, the shoreline was reinforced with riprap. However, the rising wall created in this process separated the city from the sea, interrupting its views, its steps, and its memory.

The foremost goal of this new waterfront design has been to restore that broken connection. Landfill levels were raised to meet pedestrian pathways, and terraces, viewing platforms, and fishing piers were introduced at key points to provide access to the shore. For the residents of İskenderun, the steps opening toward the horizon became thresholds of reunion with the sea. Through these interventions, safety and flood protection were preserved, while the city’s dialogue with the sea was reestablished.

The project, however, is not only about mending the relationship between city and sea, but also about transforming the waterfront into a vibrant corridor of life once again. Promenades, jogging and cycling paths, children’s playgrounds, green amphitheaters, viewing terraces, picnic and sports areas make the shoreline a gathering place for all generations. Pomegranate and bitter orange gardens, shaded woodlands, and spaces for art and sculpture weave a new cultural landscape along the shoreline.

Thus, the İskenderun waterfront has been reimagined not merely as a strip of coast, but as a living ground that recalls the city’s memory, resilience, and its age-old connection with the sea. With this project, the rupture left in the wake of the earthquake has been healed – and the city has found its way back to the water.