Izmir Metropolitan Municipality hosted a workshop organized as a part of “Izmir Metabolic Bicycle Network” and local and foreign specialists attended to the workshop. The workshop discussed 2040 goals and the participants shared suggestions on popularizing use of bicycles in İzmir and making it a mode of transport.

WRI (World Resources Institute) Turkey Sustainable Cities, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and Fabrication collaborated to organize “Izmir Metabolic Bicycle Network” workshop at the Historical Coal Gas Factory. Local and foreign experts participated to this workshop to share their suggestions for ensuring efficiency of new bicycle trails to be constructed in Izmir in the future years and popularizing use of bicycles in Izmir and making it a mode of transport. 

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality’s Deputy Mayor Dr. Sırrı Aydoğan delivered the keynote speech of the workshop and said; “The more Izmir strengthens its bicycle network the more it supports environmentalist practices. As the municipality, we are determined to expand the bicycle network. In our culture, bicycles are considered as means of entertaining the children. If someone told me 60 years ago that bicycles will be a mode of transport making life easier for the urbanites, I would not believe it, actually I would not be able to imagine.”
Use of bicycles will be more common through right planning  Helene Rekkers, Economic Business Network Director’s Attaché from the Netherlands Embassy, highlighted that the purpose of this event is to assure survival of sustainable and habitable Izmir. Ms. Rekkers gave examples from both countries:  

“The Dutch people are known for their bicycles and bicycle trails. Today, Amsterdam is considered as a bicycle heaven but it used buses, trains and cars as modes of transport for many years. However, the city administration decided to change this. The development of bicycle trails increased tourism; this change attracted tourists. Amsterdam made the most of bicycle trail project but Beijing, the capital city of China, was traditionally using bicycles since the beginning of time but this method did not work well in Beijing because the urban planning of the country is not based on bicycles. Unfortunately, bicycles in the city disappeared. Beijing is filled with cars and air pollution increased. Now, they are trying to go back to the time of using more bicycles. My suggestion would be working on the dream of popularizing use of bicycles in transportation.”

Eric Frijters, the founding partner of Fabrications Architecture Office, underlined that cities, just like people, have metabolisms and Dr. Güneş Cansız, the Director of WRI Turkey Sustainable Cities, explained that Izmir will have cleaner air thanks to the “Metabolic Bicycle Network” and touristic activities will increase and lands in the city will be more valuable.  
“Izmir Metabolic Bicycle Network” project is a collaboration of architecture / planning company Fabrications, which operates as a part of “Sustainable and Inclusive Cities through Design” project launched by the Dutch Creative Industries Fund and Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and WRI Turkey Sustainable Cities, and it is one of the four Turkish projects awarded with a grant. The said project aims to prepare 2040 strategy and to promote more effective use of resources through adding other functions to the bicycle trails to be built in Izmir in the upcoming years on condition that they comply with the city’s strategy and projects.