In Turkey, road transport is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector (94%). Civil society and other actors in Turkey who can stimulate change in this field are generally dispersed and disconnected from one another, unable to benefit from each other’s technical expertise, good practices and resources.

WRI Türkiye aims to strengthen the technical, administrative and financial capacity of Turkey’s cities to successfully enact sustainable transport solutions through a multistakeholder network of professionals and civil society organizations.

The Sustainable Urban Transport Network Turkey, with more than 300 members including civil society organizations, private companies and other organizations, works to enhance dialogue between public and private stakeholders. Our goal is to achieve strategic cross-sectoral cooperation and increase representation and inclusion of civil society organizations in urban mobility policymaking, especially grassroots organizations and those working with vulnerable groups, to enable more effective sustainable mobility solutions both locally and nationally.

WRI Türkiye supports the Sustainable Urban Transport Network Turkey across three main areas of work:

Building & Strengthening the Network

WRI Türkiye helps to map stakeholders and recruit organizations to join the network. We help to build the capacity of network members through e-learning modules, sharing best practices and webinars, as well as conducting gap analysis to help determine needs. In addition, microgrants to projects in three cities are helping to support innovative ideas, from improving the experience of women on public transport to building a bicycle courier network and generating case study data.

Regional Collaboration

WRI Türkiye conducts international study visits, including to Brussels and Barcelona, to provide cross-continent and European Community learning opportunities. The project also conducts regional stakeholder dialogue workshops in Turkey to promote collaboration among members and strengthen the network. Regional collaboration allows cities to better understand efficient solutions and address common problems and needs in a local manner.

Policy Impact

WRI Türkiye is guiding the development of a Sustainable Urban Transport Action Plan, a national action plan for cities to create an enabling environment for innovation, and a white paper to encourage equitable access to walking and cycling and public transport in Turkish cities. The project also monitors and contributes to the development of the European Community’s policies on sustainable transport to strengthen the enabling environment for national policymaking.

 

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Cover image by WRI Turkey