IZMIR ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP OFFİCE
Izmir Active Citizenship Office is a platform under the umbrella of the İzmir Planning Agency (IZPA) that aims to increase social participation in achieving sustainable development goals and building a resilient city. The Office aims to create active and diverse participation mechanisms between the local government and citizens, realising a ‘new generation municipalism’ approach. This approach goes beyond classical forms of governance, allowing citizens to participate more broadly in urban decision-making processes.
Importance of Active Participation
Active participation in local government today goes beyond elections and official meetings. Citizens are proactively involved in decision-making processes, ensuring that the needs, opinions and suggestions of the wider community are taken into account in urban planning and management. This approach shapes urban development to reflect the expectations of the whole community, not just specific groups.
Active participation provides citizens with the opportunity to inform, influence, design, implement, monitor and evaluate public processes. This participation is an important mechanism that supports the healthy functioning of democracy as well as sustainable development. It also increases the level of transparency and accountability of local governments and strengthens social awareness and responsibility.
Social Cohesion and Development
Active participation fosters communication and collaboration among individuals, reinforcing social cohesion. This engagement facilitates the efficient and effective implementation of local and global development initiatives, ultimately enhancing social welfare. In this context, the Izmir Active Citizenship Office of IZPA supports the establishment of inclusive, participatory decision-making frameworks aligned with sustainable development goals.
The Office aims to create transparent, accountable and responsive institutions at all levels, and to increase and strengthen the participation of developing countries in global governance mechanisms. Within this framework, it organises various programmes to develop local government identity and strengthen social participation.
Data-Driven Approaches and Continuous Cooperation
Izmir Active Citizenship Office contributes to theoretical knowledge on data-driven accountability, transparency and stakeholder engagement at the local government scale in Izmir. The office develops and tests hypotheses to support participants' real-time learning. Moreover, through integrated and continuous collaborations, it works with stakeholders at all stages from theory building to theory testing.
Izmir Active Citizenship Office of IZPA continues to support to the creation of a more inclusive and resilient city by ensuring the active participation of citizens while strengthening Izmir's understanding of local governance.