Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Development Murat Kurum visited Bursa last week and initiated a major urban renovation of the fourth largest city in Turkey. Large-scale transformations, fully funded by the ministry, await the largest district of Bursa - Yildirim. The renovation will affect 250 thousand apartments (1200 residential apartment buildings) and will be carried out in two stages. At the first stage, 600 apartment buildings will be demolished and rebuilt, and at the second - 650. It has been reported that all residents of dilapidated houses will receive new apartments with a small surcharge (about 20 percent of the cost of an apartment). The money to repay this surcharge can be borrowed for 10 years on favorable terms. The renovation program has already been approved by all its participants - residents of the Yildirim district, whose houses are to be demolished, and the city authorities. In place of the old city quarters of Bursa, modern residential complexes of seven and eight stories will be built.