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Scheduling for accurate estimation of construction duration is significant to prevent construction delays and successfully complete projects on time. Although the main reasons for construction delays differ among developing countries, several factors related to project characteristics and clients contribute. In this study, interviews and observations were conducted with TOKI (Housing Development Administration of the Republic of Turkey), to explore construction delays. It was revealed that TOKI uses three factors such as “the number of flats”, “type of drawings utilized during the tender stage”, and “non-working days” to estimate total construction duration. Data analysis of the TOKI Projects Status Table, which lists detailed project information for 2800 completed TOKI projects, showed that most delays occurred in housing projects. Therefore, the construction delays for TOKI housing projects were investigated in this case study. The findings revealed that there is a wide construction duration gap between calculated construction durations using TOKI’s calculation method and durations indicated in official construction contracts between TOKI as a client and the awarded contractors. It was concluded that the comparison between durations with construction documents and schematic design and construction delays are generally positive and high. Therefore, it was found that TOKI significantly shortened the construction duration and the factors used by TOKI for calculation of the construction duration are insufficient, which ultimately resulted in delays for a considerable number of housing projects. These findings can be helpful for clients and project managers to mitigate construction delays. To effectively overcome construction delays in developing countries, suggestions are made to develop accurate construction duration estimation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Except for specific cases, there has not been a planned and programmed housing policy in Turkey. After the 1960s, with the increase in the population of the cities, the slums built by the poor began to appear, and in time they began to spread from the city centers to the periphery. Housing production started to be a part of this process as the construction sector, which started with the neoliberal era, began to be seen as a means of accumulation. Especially in the last 20 years, the construction sector (especially housing) has become the sector that receives the most investment, surpassing other sectors. For this reason, slum constructions began to be prevented and housing acquisition began to be encouraged with various financial instruments. On the one hand, the central government accelerated the housing production throughout the country by giving special powers to the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), and on the other hand, it aimed to revive the construction sector in the cities by expanding the authorities of the local governments. Housing production has an important place in the construction sector. However, at the point reached in housing production, prices have increased speculatively, in the selection of zoning plans and lands opened for development, profit has begun to be prioritized over public interest, and housing production has begun to be seen as an investment element rather than a need. In this study, after the development of the housing sector in Turkey, the current housing policies will be discussed through the case of Gaziantep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]