Bursa: My Purple Map Bursa

My Purple Map Bursa consists of a digital participatory governance platform designed to ensure safe, transparent, and equitable access to gender-sensitive public services across all 17 districts of Bursa, Türkiye. Developed by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality in partnership with UN Women Turkey and the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), and financially supported by the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the initiative transforms fragmented service information into an integrated civic technology tool.

The platform maps health, social support, and protection services relevant to women, while also incorporating neighborhood-level demographic data. Beyond service visibility, Mor Haritam includes an interactive feedback mechanism that enables women to report risky areas and evaluate services. These user-generated inputs are transmitted to relevant municipal departments, contributing to spatial risk assessments and service planning adjustments.

The practice emerged from the recognition that economic development alone does not eliminate structural inequalities. Despite Bursa's high socio-economic ranking, women facing violence, social isolation, or limited mobility often encountered barriers in accessing support mechanisms. My Purple Map Bursa addresses this gap by combining participatory needs assessment, interdepartmental coordination, and digital infrastructure.

Institutionally, the practice has strengthened data-sharing among municipal departments and improved collaboration with provincial institutions and civil society. By embedding a continuous digital feedback loop into decision-making processes, My Purple Map Bursa has moved beyond a project-based intervention and become a permanent instrument for gender-responsive and accountable local governance.

Through its metropolitan-wide scope and multi-stakeholder structure, the initiative contributes to the institutionalization of participatory democracy and gender mainstreaming within Bursa's local administration.

Learn more: https://morharitam.bursa.bel.tr 

https://www.oidp.net/docs/repo/doc1851.pdf