The “Design Your Neighborhood Program” is being implemented within the scope of the Beautiful Izmir Movement, which is carried out with a participatory municipality approach under the leadership of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay. Prepared with the slogan “Let's Beautify Izmir Together” and first BayraklıThe calendar for the designs to be made in has been determined. The deadline for project submission has been determined as July 28. The public voting will begin on August 4.
A new application is being implemented within the scope of the Beautiful Izmir Movement, which was initiated by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay with a participatory municipality approach so that Izmir residents can benefit from public spaces in a more qualified and safer way. The “Design Your Neighborhood” program is being launched with the slogan “Let’s Beautify Izmir Together” in order to encourage participatory design in the city. In this context, all designers, students and residents who want to have a say in the neighborhood they live and have ties to are invited to the process.
It will proceed with 3-month processes.
The “Design Your Neighborhood Program”, carried out under the roof of the Beautiful Izmir Movement of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, was first BayraklıThe program will progress with studies to be carried out in different districts of Izmir in 3-month periods. Izmir residents will have the necessary information. http://www.guzelizmirhareketi.com.tr/ You can reach us from the address and guzelizmirhareketi social media accounts.
Program schedule has been clarified
Designers and residents are coming together with the project. With the project that aims to make idle areas qualified, problems will be identified at the neighborhood level and solution proposals will be developed; creative, low-cost, easily applicable designs will be implemented for public areas that are thought not to reflect their full potential. The deadline for project submission was determined as 28 July 2025 at 17.00:20. As a result of the evaluation of the administration, a maximum of XNUMX finalists will be presented with a digital exhibition. http://www.guzelizmirhareketi.com.tr/ It will be put to a public vote on August 4, 2025. The winner will also be given a cash prize and the opportunity to have their design implemented.
What is the Beautiful Izmir Movement?
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay initiated the Beautiful Izmir Movement to transform public spaces into a more qualified structure in line with the demands of the people of Izmir. The project brings together designers and the people of Izmir to revitalize public spaces in Izmir, increase accessibility, diversify uses and improve existing areas. It aims to create more qualified living spaces in both urban and rural public spaces in Izmir with small-scale but effective interventions.
The movement progresses through 8 main thematic actions. These were determined as urban meeting points, revitalized streets, inviting parks/green areas, new generation marketplaces, urban surfaces in the corners, enjoyable social spaces, urban memory points, and safe school environments.
What was done?
First, within the scope of the theme of “Safe School Environments”, the Safe Pedestrian Transportation and Play Street Project was implemented around Cevdet Güçlüer Primary School and Yunus Emre Secondary School in Karabağlar. Within the scope of the project, a safe school environment was created and 4238 streets were pedestrianized and transformed into a play street. 4237 and 4239 streets were made one-way, facilitating school exits and slowing down traffic. The pedestrian area at the school main entrance axis on Sırrı Atalay Street was expanded. Large vehicles such as grocery trucks that were waiting stationary were removed. Parking was prevented with delineators and landscaping works carried out along the school perimeter. Public use was increased with landscaping and seating units.
Within the scope of the theme of “Inviting Parks / Green Areas”, citizens living in Ballıkuyu were brought together in the “Ballıkuyu – We Design the Small Variant Together” Mother-Child Participatory Design Workshop organized for the Ballıkuyu Park Project. The opinions of the residents were received and the park design was shaped in line with this feedback.
Thirdly, within the scope of the themes of “Safe School Environments and Inviting Parks/Green Areas”, the Safe Pedestrian Transportation and Children’s Park Project was completed around Güzeltepe Primary School in Çiğli Şirintepe Neighborhood. Within the scope of the project, it was determined that there were no parks in the neighborhood, and the problems regarding the idle area next to the school were solved by contacting many institutions, and a children’s park was added to the neighborhood. The narrow sidewalks around the school were widened. The thick-bodied electricity poles/overhead lines located in the middle of the narrow sidewalks were taken underground, and the electricity and similar panels were removed from the middle of the sidewalk and moved to the side, and obstacles that would disrupt pedestrian flow were removed. The road with a width of 19 meters was narrowed with sidewalks and landscaping, shortening the time pedestrians would spend on the road and slowing down the traffic flow. In addition, the school environment was made qualified with seating and waiting areas, planting works and children’s playgrounds created with ground painting in the new arrangement. The school environment was colored and made fun for children. Road asphalt and sidewalk renewal works were carried out.
Beautiful Izmir Movement spreads to the city
At the event titled “The Beautiful Izmir Movement is Growing and Spreading to the City” held on April 30, an open call was made to all city actors who want to have a say in the city. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, Beautiful Izmir Movement Coordinator Master Architect Esra Yılmaz Keskin and City Planner Ali Faruk Göksu were speakers at the event. Representatives of civil society organizations, chamber representatives, deans of design departments, department heads, academicians, students and bureaucrats attended the event, which was greatly attended by design students. Invitations were made to grow the Beautiful Izmir Movement and to be stakeholders in participatory design, and programs for 3 themes were announced at the beginning of the event. These were;
* Within the scope of the Urban Surfaces Theme: Design Your Neighborhood Program
* Within the scope of the Safe School Environments Theme: Young Designers Workshop Program
* Within the scope of the Urban Memory Points Theme: Documentation and Design of Open Spaces in Historical and Cultural Heritage Environments Program
From Çeşme to Foça
Within the scope of “Designers in Izmir” design workshops, small-scale public spaces were designed and implemented on-site in Çeşme, Foça, Seferihisar and Karaburun with the participation of young designers. With the “Coast – Corner Program”, young designers rethought public spaces with the motto “We Design Together, We Implement Together”. Designs were created based on the recycling of inactive materials in municipality workshops within the framework of sustainability.
