This one really came as a surprise, and since people often only act when there's a precedent, sadly the building collapsed. They will learn from this, like the Japanese did.
No, they won't, unfortunately. Turkey is in the fault lines and there was a 7.6 earthquake in 1999. A lot has been said but not much have been done.
Just a couple of years ago, there was "amnesty" for buildings. My father in-law was bragging how his building, which did not have any inspection or permits during the construction, has gotten amnesty for a small fee and he could sell flats to others now..
The location of the earthquake is pretty much on top of a plate fault so earthquakes are to be expected, especially big ones
But the problem is not that you can't build for big earthquakes, more that the whole area is a low income one with everything that along
It is possible to build for a 7.8, at least so that the structure doesn't collapse (severe interior damage is inevitable). But many older high-rises in San Francisco were built to weaker standards or on soil subject to liquefaction and would be at serious risk.
