07.11.11

Deepening Turkish-Dutch collaboration in urban renewal

Foto: Thomas Cattrysse

The IABR has been working with an international team since 2009 on a concrete assignment in Istanbul: the sustainable integration of the drinking-water supply and agriculture into the growing city. The Strategic Plan for the municipality of Arnavutköy was presented to local partners on 27 and 28 October.

The assignment in Arnavutköy, Istanbul
The municipality of Arnavutköy lies in the drinking water reservoir of the Istanbul metropolitan region. This area is largely agrarian. But as the city advances, tension is growing between ecological interests and urbanisation. The challenge is to incorporate urban developments into the existing productive landscape.

Strategic Plan for Arnavutköy
The first step in the collaboration between the IABR and the municipality of Arnavutköy was the development of a Strategic Plan for the area. Developed by H+N+S Landscape Architects (NL) and 51N4E (B), this plan was presented to local parties on 27 and 28 October 2011. Important partners – including the Istanbul metropolitan authority, the Turkish Ministry of the Environment and Urban Planning, and the ISKI water services department, as well as the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment – were present at this official event.
 
All parties in attendance recognised the urgency of the assignment and the necessity of working together. They have therefore committed themselves to a follow-up programme. The first important step towards the sustainable development of the area has been taken. The plan can now be worked out in an Action Plan and a number of concrete pilot projects.

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