Cittaslow Metropolis Quiet Neighborhood Program Brings 5 Awards to Izmir
The good practices of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, which was declared the world's first Cittaslow Metropolis city in 2021, are bringing awards to the city one by one. The President stated that they have received 5 awards so far with the Quiet Neighborhood program. Tunç Soyer, “With Cittaslow Metropol, we improve welfare and justice in the city, starting from the neighborhoods. "The awards we have received and the point we have reached on the path we follow with this goal make us proud," he said.
The "Calm Neighborhood" program of Izmir, which was declared the world's first Cittaslow Metropol pilot city, continues to bring awards to the city. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality continues to crown its success with the projects it has implemented in Demirköprü District, where the Quiet Neighborhood application continues. The applications carried out in the district were recently deemed worthy of the incentive award in the "Sustainable Applications and Projects in Public Landscape Design" category in the National Landscape Architecture competition organized every year by TMMOB Chamber of Landscape Architects.
Cittaslow Metropol Quiet Neighborhood Program brought 5 awards to Izmir
The applications carried out in Demirköprü Neighborhood within the scope of the Cittaslow Metropol Quiet Neighborhood Program and the successes achieved in national and international competitions are as follows:
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Healthy Cities Best Practice Competition 2023- First Prize in City Planning Category
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TerraViva Competitions Tactical Urbanism NOW 2023 Finalist
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Chamber of City Planners Raci Bademli Good Practices Award 2023- Third Prize
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National Landscape Architecture Awards Sustainable Practices and Projects Incentive Award
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Marmara Urban Forum 2023- Good Practice Award
The point we have reached makes us proud
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor stated that they achieved the goals they set with Seferihisar becoming Cittaslow in 2009. Tunç Soyer, “We see the success of our project with the awards we received. Every award we receive means a lot to us. Because Cittaslow Metropol is a project to build the cities of the future. There are also neighborhoods in the heart of cities. These neighborhoods are the places where interaction is most intense. We first chose these neighborhoods as Cittaslow's application areas. We develop welfare and justice in the city, starting from the neighborhoods. "For this reason, the awards we have received make us proud as they show the point we have reached."
We designed Sakin Mahallesi with community participation
Stating that they have been continuing the Cittaslow Metropol Project Quiet Neighborhood Program since 2021, Project Coordinator Bülent Köstem said, “In our pilot applications, our aim is to identify the problems of the neighborhood with the participation of the residents of the neighborhood and to produce solutions together with the residents of the neighborhood. As a result of the analyzes and interviews we conducted in Demirköprü, it was revealed that vehicle traffic poses a danger to children and demands for green areas to be made more functional and safe. For this reason, we organized the areas on 6182 street, gained by reducing vehicle traffic and parking and canceling some road sections, as a 'Tranquil Place' where the neighborhood residents come together and interact. In the 'Calm Space', which we designed with community participation, the activities in the area were diversified, and user diversity was provided by placing play groups for children, sports areas and walking paths for adults, and picnic tables for the elderly. After designing the area, we finalized it with the neighborhood residents by opening tables in the parks. For example, young people wanted a basketball hoop, women wanted the treadmill to be extended, and we implemented these. With the 'Calm Route' application, pedestrian-oriented spatial arrangements such as shared roads and traffic calming practices were implemented. "In this area gained through pedestrianization, new public spaces were created to meet the needs of neighborhood users," he said.
What is Cittaslow Metropolis?
Izmir was declared the world's first Cittaslow Metropolis pilot city at the Cittaslow 2021 General Assembly. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality is working on the Cittaslow Metropol project with civil society representatives, academics, experts and opinion leaders to create a metropolitan management model that will start in Izmir and be implemented all over the world. Within the scope of the project, urban and good life perspectives in the world were analyzed and brought together with the "slow life" philosophy. Cittaslow Metropolitan city model aims for a people-oriented, sustainable, high quality of life that protects the values of the city. The Cittaslow Metropolis model has 6 main themes: "Society", "Urban resilience", "Food for All", "Good Governance", "Mobility" and "Cittaslow Neighborhoods". Various criteria were determined under these themes. Within the scope of these criteria, projects are developed and implemented within the scope of the Quiet Neighborhood Program in selected neighborhoods in Izmir. Within the scope of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality "Calm Neighborhood" program KarşıyakaIt continues its work in Demirköprü District of Istanbul and Pazaryeri District in Konak Agora Ruins.
21.12.2023