The “Fırat Living Park”, which was established in Buca by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality for the integration of the citizens with nature, has become one of the favorite places of the residents of the district. Citizens started to protect the park, which welcomes more than 10 thousand visitors a day, like their home.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerFırat Living Park, which was realized within the scope of the 35 Living Park project promised by , became the new meeting place of the people of Buca. In the Fırat Living Park, which is the size of three football fields and used as a sapling warehouse for 35 years, many features such as walking routes, tea garden, recreation and playgrounds for children, basketball court, greenhouse, neighborhood garden were added upon the demands of the residents. Fırat Living Park, which serves three purposes as integrating humans with nature, protecting the ecosystem, social interaction and agricultural production, has been embraced by the people of Buca since the day it was opened.
There are products from women's cooperatives in the cafeteria
Fırat Living Park Operations Chief Can Uğur said, “This is a park in the center of Buca that serves approximately 80 thousand citizens. We have a green area of 30 thousand square meters. The plants and trees you see here are all taken from our cooperatives. Our President Tunç SoyerIt was a place planned by the Emergency Solution Team, which was put into service by .
Saying that the cafeteria in the park, which serves around 10 thousand Izmir residents a day, is open from 8 in the morning to 12 at night, Can Uğur said, “The products sold in the cafeteria are products from our women's cooperatives. All our guests who have come so far have left here very satisfied. “When I come here in the morning, what I like the most is seeing the citizens, from the youngest to the oldest, on the walking areas and basketball hoops, regardless of age.”
“Citizen protects their own park”
Stating that the citizens also embrace the park, Can Uğur said, “Our security is providing service, but right now we don't really need security anymore. People protect this park because they own it. No security needs to alert anyone. Everyone has established a cycle among themselves and they are taking care of this place”.
“Tunç President made my dream come true”
Expressing that the park changed the face of the neighborhood, Fırat District Headman Feramuz Eroğlu said, “I have been living in this neighborhood for 35 years. The past of the Euphrates nursery goes back 50 years here. This place was full of dust, soil, and the smell of manure. Thank you, I am talking about this nursery with the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Tunç SoyerWhen I took him to Izmir, he said sincerely, without hesitation, 'My headman, I will make this the most beautiful park in Izmir'. Our president kept his word. He built a park worthy of our neighborhood, our Buca. This was an excellent facility beyond the park. Tunç President made my dream come true. I also get a lot of thanks and appreciation from the locals. I ask all our citizens to take care of this place. Let them keep their house as clean as they own it. Crews work here day and night. We all need to take responsibility," he said.
“We even have our breakfast here”
Citizens who visit the park every day expressed their feelings with these words: Gülşah Muslu: “This was a nursery before. Now we have an area where we can relax, walk our dogs, sit and have a cup of tea. I come almost every morning to get some fresh air, drink tea, or even have breakfast. Since the food and beverages in the cafe are very affordable, we often have our breakfast here.”
Sevgi Mendeş: “It was very nice. We are very happy to have a space where we can breathe, take a walk, sit and have a cup of tea. Hopefully it stays like this forever. I've been living here for 10 years. Such a space was really needed. We always wished we had a place to go out and sit. It was very good, we are very pleased.”
Rasim Coşkun: “I live 100 meters from the park. It was a very beautiful park. I hope we all watch this park together. If we don't get it, it's over. I've been living here for 38 years. This place used to be a dump. It was a very nice park where we could breathe. God bless all. I use it more in the evenings, I bring my grandchild.”
Living Park was designed according to the wishes and needs of the people.
Fırat Living Park is of great importance with its proximity to five neighborhoods in Buca. The demand for the Fırat Living Park was determined by the Emergency Solution Team, which was formed by Mayor Soyer to quickly and effectively solve the needs in each neighborhood of İzmir. The park area was leased to the municipality company İzDoğa as a tea garden in June 2022 by the decision of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Council and transformed into a Living Park in less than a year. In addition to İzDoğa, other stakeholders of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Emergency Solution Team, İZBETON, İZSU, İZENERJİ, Parks and Gardens Department, Science Affairs Department and Construction Works Department took part in the construction of the park.
The trees in the park were selected from the type that will not need watering for 3-4 years.
The planting works carried out in the park were dedicated to Cevat Şakir Kabağaç (Fisherman of Halicarnassus), who spent part of his life in İzmir and put great effort into planting İzmir's largest green area, Kültürpark. Inspired by the planting methods used by Cevat Şakir in many parts of the park. Plants suitable for the climate and nature of İzmir were used in the afforestation works carried out to transform the Fırat Nursery into a Living Park. In the thirty thousand square meter park that was brought to Buca, acorn oaks, holly oaks, linden trees, sycamores, sequoias, cypresses, Datça dates, almonds, gum, wild olives, judas trees, thyme, blackheads, laurel, tamarisk, mulberry, ornamental pear, pomegranate In addition to the species, fragrant plants such as honeysuckle, magnolia and yellow-flowered jasmine met the soil. The trees in the park were selected from species that would not need irrigation after 3-4 years.