EU Support for Promoting Sustainable Urban Mobility in Turkish Cities Project is co-financed jointly by the European Union and the Republic of Türkiye.
The overarching objective of the project is to facilitate, at both national and city levels, a shift away from an individual-transport-oriented approach and to promote a transition towards sustainable, accessible, and inclusive mobility modes. In line with this objective, the project aims to reduce the environmental impacts of urban mobility, strengthen accessibility for all users—including vulnerable groups—and establish a fairer set of transport options.
Within the scope of the project objectives, municipalities are supported in policy dialogue and capacity development processes in the field of sustainable urban mobility. In addition, the project aims to promote the European Mobility Week (EMW) in Türkiye and increase public awareness within this framework.
The tangible results delivered under the SUMP Türkiye Project have been structured as an integrated output set that jointly strengthens policy development, institutional capacity building, and access to knowledge. The Green Policy Paper, developed on the basis of a detailed analysis of current urban mobility conditions in Türkiye and prepared with the participation of stakeholders and decision-makers, constitutes a strategic document that comprehensively reviews the existing policy–legislative–institutional framework. This document makes visible the misalignments between Türkiye’s and the EU’s sustainable mobility objectives and systematically identifies key challenges, priorities, and opportunity areas for improvement.
The White Policy Paper is positioned as a policy document that, for the first time, defines national objectives in a holistic framework based on cities’ sustainable urban mobility needs, and—through a 25-year vision—targets a more liveable, accessible, integrated, and climate-friendly urban transport system. This transformation is designed not to remain limited to technical interventions; it is framed together with necessary legal arrangements, institutional reforms, data-driven governance instruments, and sustainable financing models. Aligned with the EU’s strategic orientations, this framework brings central and local institutions onto a shared strategic platform and serves as a reference across all stages from planning to implementation.
To underpin the policy documents, the project enables the establishment of a long-term policy dialogue on sustainable urban mobility between key stakeholders in Türkiye and their counterparts in Europe. This dialogue supports the development of a shared agenda across different governance levels, the transfer of good practices, and the strengthening of inter-institutional coordination. In parallel, the trainings delivered under the project enhance the knowledge, skills, and experience of Union of Municipalities of Türkiye personnel, municipal managers, urban planners, experts, and service providers, thereby expanding implementation capacity.
From the perspective of access to knowledge and visibility, the project website provides a digital knowledge platform comprising resource documents, training materials, good practice examples, and visual content, while also regularly informing the public about European Mobility Week activities. Through study visits, SUMP experts from Türkiye and representatives of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye and Task Force institutions are enabled to observe successful European practices on site; these visits are conducted to support mutual learning, experience transfer, and institutional capacity enhancement.
In terms of localising technical knowledge, Turkish translations of 10 selected ELTIS guides—among the core reference sources used by the European Union in SUMP planning—are being prepared. The texts are adapted to the national context and technical terminology consistency is ensured. The handbooks complementing these translations serve as implementation-oriented guidance for municipalities; by focusing on thematic areas such as data management, stakeholder engagement, and public transport integration, they support planning processes through practical examples.