Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s “UrbanGreenUp” project is elected as the top project out of 39 international projects participating to the European Union’s grant scheme “HORIZION 2020”. “Horizon 2020 – International Green Infrastructure Workshop” was also organized as a part of this event.

“Horizon 2020-International Green Infrastructure Workshop”, which was organized at Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Center for discussing practices that will guide future of a city, hosted representatives from Valladolid, Spain and Liverpool, England as well as several national and international experts.

The workshop introduced “UrbanGreenUp”, a project jointly designed by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Izmir Advanced Technology Institute, Ege University, Bitnet and Demir Energy and awarded with a European Union grant worth 2.5 million Euros.

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s General Secretary Dr. Buğra Gökçe gave the opening speech of the Workshop and he delivered the following speech after underlining that Izmir Metropolitan Municipality is the only local government that takes steps in the direction of minimizing carbon emission in the large cities all around Turkey:

"Izmir Metropolitan Municipality studies natural solutions and takes firm steps for leaving rubber wheel behind and starting electrical and rail systems in public transportation. Rail systems will provide comfortable transportation as well as significantly reducing carbon emission. Also, our bus fleet will be converted to an electrical system. We are making huge investments to convert solar energy into electricity. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has been doing a number of studies to minimize global climate change, prevent floods and protect biodiversity. General Directorate of IZSU spends its budget on protecting natural resources. Izmir is almost 10 times ahead of Istanbul in terms quantity of treated water per capita. Our efforts in treatment of waste waters are parallel to our efforts of keeping the bay clean. We work on separating rain water and sewage water and bringing clean water into the sea. Izmir tries to let people drink clean water and bring clean water into the sea. Keeping our soil clean is vital for future generations. Izmir has arable lands. 3 important agricultural basins such as Küçük Menderes, Gediz and Bakırçay are involved in busy production operations. However, these basins are under the polluted pressure of industry, such like several other cities all around the country and world.

Mr. Gökçe mentioned the operations conducted by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality for supporting producers in the process of assuring good and organic agriculture activities in the basin of our city and added “We meet producers’ needs in the rural areas from fertilizer to cold storages, and we reach out to people. We selected two main water beds in the north of the city for the project to be conducted with the support of the European Union. We are going to start working on Peynircioğlu and Çiğli brooks. We took the first and important step for Peynircioğlu Brook. Halkpark, which is still under construction, might be considered as the first step of this process. We will work on offering both green fields and recreational areas around Çiğli Brook, Izmir Wild Life Park and Menemen Plain. Aim of this project is to create places where urbanites can take a deep breath as well as minimizing the pressure of urbanization and protecting arable lands. We have been working very hard on this process that is defined as “Local Development” by Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu. We are not doing all these works because we are obliged to do so under the European Union’s grant but because we have faith in mind and science.”  

Raul Sanchez from CARTIF Company and Magdelana Rozanska from ACCIONA Company, both Spanish establishments, gave presentations on “Renewal of Urban Methodology” during Horizon 2020- International Green Infrastructure Workshop. The workshop will have 3-day meetings.

The project awarded with the grant will do innovative practices for protecting environment from Karşıyaka to Izmir Wild Life Park, Menemen Plain to Çamaltı Saltpan through model practice projects to be implemented in Izmir.

What will happen when the project is completed?

According to “Sustainable Energy Action Plan” signed by Izmir in 2015, it will reduce its carbon emission by 20 % until 2020. Besides achieving this goal, it will set an example with clean and environment friendly tramway, expanded bicycle road network and municipal structures supplying its energy from 100 % renewable energy resources. The model practices designed within the scope of “UrbanGreenUP” project will be a symbol for these goals to be achieved until 2020. Furthermore, they will set an example for the actions to be taken within the framework of adaptation to climate change to be completed until 2040.

Besides, model practices carried out under the scope of “UrbanGreenUp” project will be expanded to the entire city in harmony with “Izmir Green Infrastructure Strategy”.

The project will bring together the urbanites with agriculture and agricultural cooperatives and created ecological business-work areas complying with the goals of Izmir for local development. We are going to support several important practices and events for improving the city’s agricultural activities and raising awareness about food safety and the environment.