Cities of the Future: Three Turkish cities to lead by example

TURKEY — Cities of Istanbul, Kayseri, and Trabzon will participate in a ground-breaking collaborative project between international and Turkish water experts and local ministerial experts to create an integrated, more sustainable model for urban water management. The Turkish Ministry of the Environment and Forestry and the International Water Association (IWA) have today agreed to implement IWA’s Cities of the Future Program with the three partner cities over a three year period.

Experts from the Istanbul Technical University, the Bogazici Institute of Environmental Sciences, other Turkish university collaborators, and IWA international experts will provide models, technologies, and approaches that meet the highest global standards in urban water management. The project will culminate in an international Cities of the Future conference in Istanbul in 2013.

“Cities of the Future represents an acknowledgement by leaders in the water sector that the current, most predominately used techniques for water supply, wastewater treatment, and stormwater management do not reflect the growing realities of a changing global context. Human population growth, rising incomes, and increased urbanization are colliding with resource limits and global warming to create an imperative for change in both the developing and developed regions,” said Glen Daigger, PhD, president-elect of IWA.

“Cities of the Future is about ‘learning by doing.’ Turkish and international experts will combine the facts on the ground with emerging global best practice gleaned from leading-edge projects from around the world.”

“Cities of the Future will inform, inspire, and broaden alternatives for these thriving cities with major 21st century infrastructure investments ahead of them. Through participation in the Cities of the Future, Turkish university scholars will be building enhanced capacity in their role as technology advisors to city and central government ministries. This enhanced capacity can then translate throughout all of Turkey’s cities leading to a methodology to serve as a guide for all cities with similar issues and opportunities,” Daigger concluded.

The next global Cities of the Future workshop will be at the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition Sept. 19-24, 2010 in Montreal, Canada.

For more information, visit www.iwa2010montreal.org.