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A Turkish politician and parliamentarian, born in 1976. He served as the Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Planning between 2018 and 2023, and became prominent in the field of urban development of cities by creating modern, safe and healthy housing. He was also known for his ability to manage natural disaster risks and his interest in environmental and climate issues. He was nominated for the “Public Alliance” for mayor Istanbul The major elections scheduled for March 2024.
Birth and upbringing
Murat Mehmet Kurum was born on May 7, 1976 in the Çankaya district of Ankara. His father, Mehmet Qorum, is originally from the city of Konya, and he worked as a civil engineer in the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. As for his mother, Sati Qorum, she is a housewife from the village of “Kazalji Hamam” near Ankara.
Kurum lived in a family where he was the middle son and the only boy with two sisters, Dilek and Didem. He spent his childhood moving between several Turkish states due to his father’s work conditions, from Ankara to Konya, then to Mardin, and then to Ankara again. In his youth, he participated in sports activities, and played basketball on the school team.
In 2000, he married Cengul Korum, who is one year younger than him and works in the field of education, and they have three children: Muhammad, Zeinab, and Zahra.
Study and scientific training
Kurum studied the first grade at Gazi Primary School in Konya, then moved with his family to Mardin, where he taught the next two grades at Ataturk Primary School. The family then returned to Ankara again, and he taught the fourth and fifth grades at Seyran Baglari Primary School. Then he completed the middle and high school levels at Mimar Kemal High School in Ankara.
He joined Selcuk University in Konya and joined the Faculty of Engineering in the Food Engineering Department. After the first year of study, he re-enrolled again to join the Civil Engineering Department at the same university, where he graduated in 1999.
He joined the Institute of Science and Technology at Okan University, where he completed his master’s degree in the field of urban transformation in 2017. In his thesis, he addressed problems such as urbanization, housing, slums, migration, and infrastructure, during which he conducted an inventory study of the entire territory of Istanbul using a geographic information system.
Professional path
He began his career in the field of civil engineering in 1999, and worked over the years in the field of construction in many private sector institutions in various parts of Turkey. He distinguished himself in his role as director of the construction site following the “Bingöl” earthquake in 2003, where he completed the construction of about 250 apartments. He delivered it within a period not exceeding 180 days.
In 2005, he joined the “Community Housing Development Administration” (TOKI) Foundation of the Prime Minister’s Office, and worked as an expert in its executive department in Ankara. In 2006, he became the director of the organization’s executive branch in the European section of Istanbul, and during his work period he assumed responsibility for more than 100 sites. Construction in Istanbul, as well as managing work in more than 25 locations in other states.
He has proven his competence and excellence in his work. In 2009, he was appointed General Manager of the “Emlak Count” Company, affiliated with the “Toki” Foundation, and a member of its Board of Directors. He worked to develop the company and achieve significant growth in it, and succeeded in transforming the company’s general vision towards achieving safe and healthy housing and providing… Modern residential spaces in Istanbul.
The total number of buildings completed by Emlak Count did not exceed 25,000 homes. After assuming management, the number of homes increased to hundreds of thousands, and he also made the company a well-known brand in the construction of luxury and medium-sized homes. Under his management, the two largest projects in the company’s history were implemented, which brought billions of dollars from abroad to the country’s economy.
Minister of Environment and Urban Planning
The great success that Qurum achieved in the “Emlak Count” company was the path that led him to the ministry, as he was able to gain the trust of the Turkish President. Recep Tayyip ErdoganHe appointed him in the first government of the presidential system in 2018 as Minister of Environment and Urban Planning.
During his ministerial period, Qurum was keen on developing cities. He focused on the concept of urban expansion, which is accompanied at the same time by preserving the integrity of the environment. He sought to mobilize forces to support urban development. He worked to establish 365,000 housing units, and organized, through the Toki Foundation, collective housing campaigns to help citizens. Low-income people to own homes.
Qurum attracted attention for his hard work in confronting the many natural disasters that occurred during his tenure as Ministry of the Environment, such as the fires that broke out in the cities of Manavgat and Marmaris, the floods that swept through Bozkurt, Sinop, and Giresun, and the earthquakes that struck “ Maamoura Al-Aziz, Malatya, and Izmir, where he prepared approximately 46,000 temporary homes in those areas, and supervised the reconstruction of the damaged cities.
Following the February 2023 earthquake, which destroyed many Turkish states, Qurum resided in the affected area for nearly two months, and under his leadership, 180,000 temporary homes were constructed in cooperation with the Toki Foundation and Emlak Kunt Company.
Qurum worked to strengthen buildings and ensure the safety of tens of thousands of homes against the risks of earthquakes and natural disasters, especially in the state of Istanbul, which is awaiting a major earthquake according to expectations. He led the “Half is on us” campaign announced by President Erdogan, which calls for an urban transformation project in Istanbul. The government covers half of the costs of rebuilding old buildings.
Qurum also paid attention to other states, and made field and inspection tours amounting to about 450 visits to 81 cities. He restored 45 squares in cities such as “Bursa”, “Balkasir” and “Konya”, without harming their historical and cultural identity.
In the field of environmental conservation, he was active in implementing the “Zero Waste” project, which was established under the patronage of the First Lady Emine ErdoganHe also worked to increase green spaces in cities and create public parks, and began work on establishing 484 public parks, 39 of which were in Istanbul alone.
During his ministerial term, the Paris Climate Agreement entered into force in the country, and the name of the ministry was changed to the “Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change.” When gum pollution threatened the Sea of Marmara in June 2021, he was one of the most prominent figures who participated in the clean-up campaign under the title “Marmara for All of Us.”
Qurum was not part of the government formed after the presidential and parliamentary elections that took place in May 2023, but he was able to obtain a seat in those elections as a representative for Justice and Development Party“In the state of Istanbul, he became Chairman of the Environment Committee in the House of Representatives.
Istanbul Municipality Candidate
On January 7, 2024, the Justice and Development Party announced that Murat Kurum is the candidate of the “Public Alliance” for mayor of Greater Istanbul in the local elections scheduled for March 2024.
Qurum announced his election campaign under the slogan “Rebuilding Istanbul” through prepared videos, which he broadcast on his social media accounts. Before his official candidacy, he began regular activities, meeting with Black Sea associations, city youth groups, taxi drivers and merchants, visiting cafes, being in frequent contact with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, and giving many speeches on urban transformation.
Qurum was known within the circles of the Justice and Development Party as a politician with distinguished communication skills and high abilities in developing solutions to problems. He is distinguished by his precise knowledge of the urban reality and the existing problems in the Istanbul region, through his academic background and long practical experience on the ground. In addition, he enjoys his commitment to… By working hard and staying away from political arguments and battles.
Responsibilities and positions
Murat Qorum held many positions and responsibilities throughout his practical and political career, most notably:
- Director of the Executive Department of the Collective Housing Development Administration, Istanbul European Branch, between 2006 and 2009.
- General Manager of Emlak Count Company between 2009 and 2018.
- Minister of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change between 2018 and 2023.
- Member of the Turkish Parliament for the Justice and Development Party in the 28th session in 2023.
