Projects’ Table Cittaslow Metropolis Project

Tunç Soyer, Mayor of Izmir (TR) first Cittaslow Metropolis and Vice-President Cittaslow International

PRINCIPLES:

• civic engagement • design on scientific data, co-design, feedback, redemption • social integration, shared social responsibility • social cohesion, justice, equity • spaces and projects for social interaction • protection of the environmental and cultural heritage, use in balance • promotion of slow culture

THE OBJECTIVES:

• for people of all ages with community involvement; • residents have easy access to basic goods and services with a 15/30 miwnute walk or by bicycle or public transport; • safe and accessible pedestrian and cycle paths; • public spaces used for the benefit of the community; • promoting social interaction; • participation-oriented cultural, artistic and sporting activities; • local public transport resources; • promote local crafts in all forms; • preserve the local neighborhood identity, “a city within a city”, “a city of a city”, culture, history, traditions and nature; • promote local employment and organize remote work with resources • promote forms of social voluntary service and subsidiarity

CITTASLOW METROPOLIS PROJECT

Even more and more large metropolises are interested in the theme and projects of Cittaslow, so the “quality of life” is coming out of the confined areas in many small towns and villages to become a strategic element in the metropolis: “slow” is a necessity, no longer a choice or a fashion, as scholars such as Barry Commoner or Enzo Tiezzi reminded us, due to the interactions between ecosystems, the production system and the economic system. The “slow” approach positively interferes and supports a new way of conceiving a sustainable city where you live well. Thus Cittaslow Metropolis was born, a project by Cittaslow International started about six years ago with some experiments in Barcelona E, Busan KOR and Brussels B, Taipei TW and today in Izmir TR. A lifestyle focused on speed and consumption is less and less effective not only in society but also in cities. The goal of Cittaslow Metropolis is to create neighborhoods where children can play in front of their homes, where we can reach school, work, health center, market, local shops, green areas and public transport with a 15 or 30 minutes on foot. One of the biggest advantages of being able to meet the basic needs of people in their neighborhoods is reduced mobility. As seen in cities developing similar neighborhood-scale practices, hours spent in traffic, carbon emissions, air pollution, noise and stress decrease as mobility decreases.