2023 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

This project has been implemented in Evliya Çelebi Neighborhood of Tuzla District, Istanbul

Tuzla Valley of Life Interactive Urban Space Project is a part of Valleys of Life which were carried out by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Department of Parks, Gardens and Green Areas, is a project that aims to serve the whole of Istanbul by bringing together the forests and seas, which are the important ecosystems of Istanbul, with green corridors, and strengthening the ecosystem both on a local and urban scale.

It is aimed to bring the unused areas along Umur (Doğandere) Stream, one of the tributaries of Tuzla Stream, to the Istanbulites by creating an urban park area where natural life is revived and recreational areas are developed by considering the protection-use balance, around Tuzla Valley of Life, which is one of the Valleys of Life projects. Along the 3.9 km long Umur Stream, transportation circulation was reconsidered in order to provide uninterrupted green space along with uninterrupted bicycle and walking paths. Then, "Interactive Urban Space Project" was applied for the decided streets with the decision of the temporary transportation and traffic commission.

Interactive Urban Space Project aims to serve as a catalyst for more comprehensive and lasting transformations through temporary and small-scale interventions. The study, which ensures active citizen participation and conducts vehicle and pedestrian counts, allows for measuring the effects and changes while prioritising user demands and opinions in project and implementation decisions. This approach leads to more informed, participatory and sustainable decision-making processes while fostering a culture of collaboration.

Within the scope of Tuzla Valley of Life Interactive Urban Space Project, the experiences of the users were observed by using many different methods mentioned in the report in order to gather feedback from citizens and to measure the possible effects of the temporary closure of the streets, which are planned to be pedestrianised and transform to green areas and parks. It is aimed to determine the most optimal design with qualitative and quantitative analysis methods based on user feedback, vehicle and pedestrian counts, and survey results.

It can be understood that the impact of the project on the local residents has been positive based on the responses obtained from the questionnaires filled out by citizens during and after the implementation, as well as the active use of the area by children and other residents from the first day of the project. Even though participatory planning and place making processes are popular in the Turkish planning system, participatory events are mostly done after the completed constructions or planning decisions. However, this type of participation process is not efficient for the decisions already taken without public opinion. Tuzla Valley of Life Interactive Urban Space Project is the pioneer for implementing the participatory approach before making planning decisions. 

Following the positive feedback received from the public as a result of the implementation, IMM continues the process of making necessary transportation decisions to permanently close the designated streets to vehicle traffic. A report compiling and evaluating the process and outcomes has been prepared to be forwarded to the relevant departments.

https://yesil.istanbul (External link) 

https://yesil.istanbul/haber_tuzla-yasam-vadisi-etkilesimli-alan-uygulamasi (External link)