Categories for permanent projects that could be implemented within the scope of the European Mobility Week were determined.

The second meeting of the Urban Agenda, a communication implementation created for more efficient and sustainable communication under the “EU Support for promoting Sustainable Urban Mobility in Turkish Cities Project” (SUMP Türkiye), one of the projects’ of USOP, was held online on April 30, 2024. Representatives from the transportation and communication teams of 8 of the 12 Metropolitan Municipalities that are currently implementing or have implemented SUMPs attended the meeting.

The project’s key communication expert Ayşe Sarp Gür gave information about SUMP Türkiye project. She explained the mission of Urban Agenda, a communication implementation of SUMP Türkiye, that aims to ensure municipalities embrace sustainable urban mobility throughout the year. Gür also conveyed to the municipality representatives the importance of producing qualified, permanent and quickly realisable projects for the European Mobility Week within the framework of the Urban Agenda.

Gülin Rahvancı, the communication expert in charge of Urban Agenda, shared with the municipalities easy project suggestions that they can implement within the scope of the communication component with her presentation titled “City Agenda - Easy Solutions”. Participants were informed about various SMS examples that municipalities can use when announcing the events they organise through SMS marketing, encouraging the use of sustainable transportation methods, and hashtags that should be used for directions and cooperation. It was also shared that the SUMP Türkiye Volunteer logo, prepared with each city's own name, can be distributed to businesses on the pilot streets chosen by the municipalities, and customers who come to shop with sustainable vehicles can be rewarded. Suggestions were also offered on how municipalities can increase visits to underutilised parks, bike lanes, or playgrounds via SMS marketing.

During the second part of the meeting, representatives from the pilot municipalities included in the Urban Agenda were invited to share their ideas, experiences, and efforts on the matter. Communication and transport experts from Ankara, Bursa, Denizli, Gaziantep, İzmir, and Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipalities shared their relevant projects and ideas implemented by their respective municipalities. Activities aimed at increasing bicycle usage emerged prominently, such as utilising bicycle parking spaces as visible and permanent urban elements, constructing bicycle parking areas, offering discounts for specific groups in public transportation, pedestrianisation, and parking arrangements.

The importance of localising joint work to be done by the municipalities to meet the expectations of their citizens and their needs appropriately was emphasised. It was highlighted that a separate SUMP Türkiye Volunteers project logo has been prepared for the municipalities implementing SUMPs under the SUMP Türkiye communication component which is being carried out in parallel. The importance of each municipality using this logo to support the dissemination activities was underscored.

In the final part of the meeting, categories for permanent projects that could be implemented within the scope of the European Mobility Week were determined. These categories were decided as "SMS Marketing to Engage Citizens," "Streets Are Transforming," and "Pedestrianisation" in line with the suggestions. It was agreed that these categories would be further expanded and shared with municipalities.