4 th International Civil Engineering & Architecture Conference 17-19 May 2025, Trabzon, Türkiye https://doi.org/10.31462/icearc2025_a_arc_872 Effects of water level changes of Lake Burdur and Lake Van on built environment Güler Özyıldıran *1 1 Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Department of Architecture, 65080 Van, Türkiye Abstract. Van city center and Burdur city center are similar with their location on the lake shore. The concerns about climate change draw attention to the water level changes in Lake Van and Lake Burdur. In fact, they are very different in terms of topography and climate. Lake Van, the biggest lake of Turkey, is located in the Eastern Anatolian Region, which has continental climate. Lake Van Basin is surrounded by snowy mountains. Lake Burdur is located in the western part of Mediterranean Region and has the Mediterranean climate. Burdur Basin is at the western end of Taurous Mountans and full of small lakes, and Burdur Lake is the biggest one. However, Lake Burdur has been rapidly drying in recent decates. On the other hand, Van experienced a disaster in 1990s due to the increase in the water level of Lake Van. Some areas of the city center were evacuated. In the recent years, Lake Van also started to lose its water level which might cause other type of danger for the natural and the built environment. This study examines the effects of water level changes of Lake Burdur and Lake Van on built environment. The study is based on the review of the related literature, the written news, old photographs and site analysis. Keywords: Built environment; Climate change;. Lake Burdur; Lake Van; Water level change 1. Introduction: Climate change is a significant problem of today and might cause different results in the near feauture. Water levels of lakes are sensitive to variability and changes in climate. The frequency and severity of extreme climate events can increase and enhance floods and droughts in many regions (Ozdemir et al., 2023). Van and Burdur are the two city centers which are located in the lake side. Both lakes have been faced with climate change as flooding or drought in recent decades. Since these lakes are near the city centers, the effects of water level changes on built environment are in question. This study aims to examine the effects of water level changes of Lake Burdur and Lake Van on built environment. Lake Burdur is located within the borders of Burdur and Isparta provinces in western Mediterranean Region. It is one of the deepest lakes in Turkey (maximum 110 m), with an average depth of around 40 m. According to the water level of 848 m, the total lake area within the borders of Isparta-Burdur is around 184.2 km2. An area of 38,125 ha in and around Lake Burdur was declared as a "Wildlife Conservation Area" in 1993. In 1994, the part of the lake covering approximately 50% (12,600 ha) was included in the “Ramsar Convention” list (Fig. 1) (WWF Türkiye, 2008). The Ramsar Convention is an international convention that aims to ensure the protection and sustainable use of wetlands (especially as Waterfowl Habitats). Burdur city center is located in the southwest side of the lake. The water level of the lake has dropped by 27 meters between the years of 1998 and 2008, and there has been a 27% decrease in its volume. Burdur Lake Management Plan Study was coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and completed in 2008 (WWF Türkiye, 2008). The decrease in the water level of Lake Van is still continuing. Lake Van is located within the borders of Van and Bitlis provinces in Eastern Anatolian Region. It is a volcanic barrier lake formed by the eruption of the Nemrut Volcanic Mountain, blocking the tectonic depression area in the region. It is surrounded by high mountains and plateaus. The Van Lake Basin, which cannot send its waters to the surrounding seas, is the second largest inflowing basin in Turkey after the Konya Basin. Lake Van, which is the largest lake in Turkey in terms of areal width, ranks 15th among the closed lakes in the world. Lake Van, which is considered as soda based on the high salt content of its waters, is also the largest soda lake in the world. The annual water potential is estimated to be approximately 3.5 billion m3 (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı, 2025). * Corresponding author, E-mail: gulerozyildiran@hotmail.com 732