IZPA facilitated the first scientific community meeting in IMM's Strategy Plan

While the Izmir Planning Agency Science Board held its first meeting, Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay addressed the academicians at the meeting and said, ‘I think that we should definitely make the new generation municipality initiative on scientific basis’. The first agenda item of the meeting was the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. 

The Izmir Planning Agency (IZPA), restructured by Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay as soon as he took office, held its first Scientific Board meeting. The meeting of the IZPA Scientific Board, which was formed with the participation of academics from Izmir who are experts in their fields from urban management to public health, took place at the Historical Havagazı Factory. The first agenda item was the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. The meeting was attended by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, IZPA President Prof. Dr. Koray Velibeyoğlu, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Barış Karcı, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary Generals and academics.

“I am putting forward my own will”
Speaking about the work of the Scientific Committee and the road map, Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay said, “We are creating a road map for the coming years by working on a Strategic Plan. This is why we are together with you, valuable scientists. We are trying something a little different. We actually started this before in Karşıyaka. We need people who approach the same issue from different perspectives to develop solutions to the problems of the city together. I am putting my will forward to prepare the infrastructure for this work and to offer you the facilities of the municipality in all areas needed. We will provide whatever is necessary for you and what you want to do together. We need practical results such as collecting data, analyzing this data, organizing participatory workshops. Our bureaucrat friends will be in charge to turn what you have told us into practice.”

“Izmir Planning Agency will undertake the coordination task”
Stating that academics have already contributed to studies in many areas such as transportation, food safety, earthquakes, Mayor Tugay said, “Your studies will turn into practical results. What you tell us and the work you do will also be a reference for us. We need only one thing: your belief in these efforts and your continued participation. Mayorship is not a profession, it is representation. I think we definitely need to open up a new generation of municipalism. Everyone is capable of fixing something in their own field. But we need consensus, common opinion, coordination, or rather multidisciplinary work. That's why we felt the need to form a board. Izmir Planning Agency will continue its coordination role. We will be able to put forward the most efficient and practical work under this structure without stereotyping as much as possible.”

“We need to go beyond the 5-year perspective”
In the first agenda item of the meeting, the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, whose stakeholder participation meetings are ongoing, was discussed. Following the presentation by Asuman Türkmen Meral, Head of Strategy Development Department of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Prof. Dr. Koray Velibeyoğlu, President of IZPA, gave information about the work on the Strategic Plan. Velibeyoğlu said, “The Strategic Plan is a plan that shapes the next 5 years. At the first stage, we need to have common goals. We need to continue our work by improving past work, localize global goals and ensure citizen participation. We need to go beyond the 5-year perspective by looking towards the future. We need to address problems such as the climate crisis, the economic crisis and the health crisis. For this we need a mission map as a reference point. In order to solve the problem, we need to be able to look at each other with compromise.”

Our priority is out-of-the-box applications that will respond to fundamental problems
Speaking about the new generation municipalism approach, Velibeyoğlu said, “We see that the projects emerging under the title of new generation municipalism are largely composed of infrastructure and superstructure projects. These will be done first and then we will carry out other works. Bay cleaning, transportation and urban transformation are important topics for Izmir. We must start the work that will make Izmir a resilient city as soon as possible. We cannot live only crisis-oriented. We must create a perspective for the future. New generation municipalism is not a formula, it is a process. We need to have a vision of the future and we need to agree on principles and goals. What distinguishes something from the old is the partnerships we build. If we are going to implement something, it should be a game changer. In fact, new generation municipalism requires a change in mentality.”

Consists of academicians specialized in their fields
Following the presentation, the academics briefed Mayor Tugay and the board members on various issues related to the city. The Izmir Planning Agency, which is structured to develop and grow Izmir in the light of science and to find solutions to problems accurately and quickly, will also build the future of the city. Innovation, science, construction, transportation, archaeology, environment, water management, urban planning, sociology, organic waste, globalization, urban management, soil management, geology, earthquake research, cultural