WeIzmir Movement aims to support the city’s economic, social, ecological and cultural development via fostering the sense of belonging to Izmir as a local and universal community. The program strives for growing synergy among individuals and organizations passionate to improve the quality of life in Izmir.
WeIzmir Movement enhances citizen participation in local governance at the neighborhood scale, with a specific focus on strengthening participatory budgeting and decision making.
The program seeks to empower residents via fostering transparency and creating more inclusive, accountable and responsive local governance tools through collaborative efforts and innovative approaches.
The WeIzmir Movement consists of following main pillars:
Neighborhood Councils: Neighborhood Councils are composed of volunteers from selected areas of Izmir. The program will start at Citta Slow and Immediate Solutions neighborhoods of Izmir (four in total) as pilot initiatives and will be replicated to other areas. The councils will be open to every civil initiative active in the neighborhood. The members of the council will work for making advisory decisions to guide the projects of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.
Participatory Budgeting: An online participatory budgeting mechanism will be introduced and institutionalized, enabling residents to influence the allocation of public funds within their neighborhoods and/or in public spaces of the city.
Participatory Decision Making: Active citizen engagement and participation in local governance processes will be facilitated via using an online WeIzmir portal. Citizens will be asked to share their opinion or vote about key projects of the Metropolitan Municipality. This will foster the sense of ownership and empowerment of Izmirians.
Opening Space for Community Action: Selected Living Parks of Izmir will be opened for “Come Out Let’s Play” events that can voluntarily be organized by citizens of Izmir. Basic in kind support will be given to civil groups that are willing to organize art events, workshops and other creative meetings in the most beautiful open areas of the City of Izmir.
Overall, the WeIzmir movement will assist Izmirians to have a collective desire for shaping their city’s future inclusively. Through uniting different stakeholders and fostering collaboration, the movement will positively contribute to Izmir’s development and make it an even more vibrant and prosperous place to live, work and visit.