Empowering climate adaptation through inspiring ideas in Bursa, Türkiye

Key Learnings

• Meeting local challenges by collecting national solutions: Open to participants from all across Türkiye, the citizen innovation competition bridged national expertise with Bursa’s pressing local issues – including flooding, urban heat islands, and water scarcity. By raising public awareness, the initiative deepened understanding of climate risks and empowered citizens to see themselves as active contributors to the solutions.
• Local support fosters innovation: Testing innovative and promising ideas with municipal departments requires expert guidance and a supportive environment. The Smart City and Innovation Centre of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality provides the mentorship, infrastructure and resources needed to transform inspiring concepts into real-world solutions.
• Community participation creates ownership: By involving university students, researchers, engineers and volunteers, Bursa built a shared sense of responsibility for making the city more climate-resilient and sustainable. Collaboration among local authorities, universities, Non-Governmental Organisations, and youth strengthens scientific credibility and community ownership.

Summary

Bursa’s journey demonstrates how local governments can translate European technical guidance into community empowerment. The Climate Adaptation Ideathon embodies the city’s commitment to participatory climate governance: merging data, design, and creativity to build a resilient, green, and inclusive urban future. The Climate Adaptation Ideathon was designed as a multi-stakeholder innovation ecosystem, uniting universities, non-governmental organisations, and public institutions under the coordination of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality. Through this approach, the Metropolitan Municipality successfully established a national network of collaboration – inviting participants from across Türkiye while maintaining a strong focus on addressing Bursa’s local climate challenges.

Contact

Strategy Development Department – R&D and Innovation Branch Directorate
Director: Salih Sadık YAŞAR
📧 salih [dot] yasarbursa [dot] bel [dot] tr (salih[dot]yasar[at]bursa[dot]bel[dot]tr)
🌐 www.bursa.bel.tr