Increasing Quality and Accessibility of Streets in Çankaya Neighborhoods in Ankara, Turkey

Project Overview

The project is built upon three components for achieving the desired impact. These include;

• Urban Design and Implementation Plans for Healthy Streets (Methodology for measuring the quality of public space and prioritization for pilot area selection, Strategic Plan, Urban Design Project, Participatory Design Process, Manual for Implementation)
• Capacity Building (Training Programme, Municipal Networking Activity, Adaptation to Municipality Regulatory Framework)
• Dissemination of the Methodology for Further Replication (Design Manual Handbook for Healthy Streets, Communication and Promotion, Future Actions for Sustainability)

Sectors

• Transport & Mobility
• Urban Infill & Public Space
• Others (Streets Design)

Objectives

The main objective of the project “Increasing Quality and Accessibility of Streets in Çankaya Neighbourhoods in Ankara” (further shortly named as Çankaya Healthy Streets Project) is to provide technical assistance and capacity building to the Çankaya District Municipality for improving the streets and open public spaces of its neighbourhoods to favour a more liveable urban environment and to promote better life quality. The project is characterized by a socially inclusive and participatory designing approach.

Progress Tracker

Phases

• Phase 1
  

  Inception

• Phase 2
  

  Urban Strategy Development (Data analysis/evaluation, Urban Master Plan (goals, actions and sub-actions))

• Phase 3
  

  Pilot Area Implementation (Understanding the Space, Urban Design Solutions and Physical Implementation Roadmap)

• Phase 4
  

  Dissemination for Replication (capacity building, healthy streets design manual, communication)

ESG Impact

The primary goal of the Healthy Streets approach is to keep people healthy by increasing their activity levels; walking is the most accessible form of physical activity. Encouraging people to walk more often is one of the easiest ways to increase population-wide activity levels. Some groups such as older people, children, car owners and disabled people are less likely to meet the minimum activity level required to remain healthy. By enabling these groups to walk more (through accessible pavements, places to rest, behaviour change campaigns, etc.) we will reduce health inequalities amongst Cankaya’s citizens.

Together with providing social inclusion, it is proven that improved accessibility and a more welcoming street environment generate increases in retail sales in the project areas. It is possible to document the impacts of changes in street design on surrounding locally-owned retail businesses in a rigorous and compelling way, expanding the range of metrics that government agencies as well as communities have available to measure the effects of these projects. Changes in travel patterns, spending patterns and neighbourhood desirability caused by changes in the street environment can impact businesses and ‘property owners’ bottom lines, most directly by affecting retail sales but also by affecting, among other things, retail rents, office rents, and commercial property values.

If changes to a street lead to more or fewer potential customers making trips to that street or change the frequency or spending patterns of their trips, then local retail sales may be affected. Improving access for other modes – by adding bike lanes or bike parking improving bus service and connections to transit, widening sidewalks or making it easier to cross the street, all solutions suggested in the project– could increase the customer base.

All strategic and design-based solutions sets and actions proposed in the project promises a system-thinking, which puts a background on the municipality to accept that it should govern a complex social ecosystem. The Healthy Streets Project in the long term will realised many benefits that include:

• Lowered carbon emissions;
• Increased quantity of green coverage;
• Reduction in the number and severity of accidents and near-misses;
• Improved quality of the urban environment;
• Encouragement of healthier and more sustainable lifestyles;
• Improved quality of life and well-being;
• Improved pedestrians and cyclist mobility;
• Improved urban space accessibility for the elderly, disabled and visually impaired;
• Improved urban environments for children;
• Increased opportunities for social interaction within residential streets;
• Achievement of community involvement and local empowerment; and
• Strengthened sense of community identity and collective ownership.

Beneficiaries

Metropolitan municipality, district municipalities, under-representative groups, and all citizens with a population of 1 Million.

Support

Technical Support Required

M6 The Final Design Manual (Handbook) for Streets includes Design Standards and indicators for HealthyStreets.

M7 The Final Report includes;
• Promoting Çankaya Municipality Activity Report + Video:
• City-Oriented Gathering for Healthy Streets at National Level Book/Report:
– Activities for city-oriented meetings for Healthy Streets at the national level.
– The manual (handbook) can be in the form of leaflets or booklets or posters for specific purposes.
• Final report:
– An outline of the achievements of the project against the requirements set out in the ToR
– An evaluation of the project’s results and outputs compared to projected goals and results
– A critical analysis of any major problems that may have arisen during the performance of the contract
– Recommendations for future actions to sustain the effects and sustainability of the project
– Description of the different options to support an informed
– Discussion on investment planning

Stakeholders

Governmental Buy-in

To be discussed with the municipality.

The main stakeholder of this project will be Çankaya District Municipality. Cankaya Municipality is a member of Healthy Cities Network and willing to implement such projects that will help the district more inline with this network principles.

Other key stakeholders are İlbank, relevant departments of the municipality, local leaderships of the district such as mukhtarships, etc.

Other Forms of Governmental Support

The municipality will mobilize their technical team for site supervision and for all design and consultancy services. They will actively manage stakeholder participation and involvement.

National Ministries Involved

Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure
Mİnistry of Environment and Urbanization
Ministry of Health

SubNational Ministries Involved

To be discussed with the municipality. City council, NGOs, mukhtarships, etc.

Other Entities Involved

To be discussed with the municipality.

Licenses and Permits

All the permits and approval processes will be conducted after the final design stage is completed and before the construction is started.

Updates

Supporting Documents

No supporting documents included.