CHANGING THE STREET-SET: FROM TACTICS TO STRATEGIES, FROM STREETS TO CITIES AND BEYOND – (Istanbul Session)

Organizers

Görsev Argın Uz, Marmara Municipalities Union
Dzheylan Safet Karaulan, Üsküdar Municipality
Beyza Gürdoğan, Superpool

Presenters

Hayrettin Günç, Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI)
Beyza Gürdoğan, Superpool
Bahadır Keşan, Maltepe Municipality
Dzheylan Safet Karaulan, Üsküdar Municipality
Görsev Argın Uz, Marmara Municipalities Union

We need transformative change—not just in the physical fabric of cities but also in how people live in and perceive them. This transformation must extend beyond urban spaces to shift collective mindsets. Streets, as the most immediate and shared public spaces, offer a powerful starting point for this change.

Far more than transportation conduits, streets are vital public spaces where communities gather, children play, and cultural life thrives. Streets as primary scenes for expression define fundamental environments for independent learning and mobility. However, car-centric urban planning has diminished their multifaceted roles, leading to environmental degradation, restricted accessibility, and the marginalization of vulnerable groups. Reclaiming streets as safer spaces for children and their independent mobility can address these societal and environmental challenges, turning them into drivers of equity, inclusion, resilience, and sustainability.

This session explores how experiential, tactical interventions can transform streets and inspire broader systemic change. Starting with transformation of a single street can inspire a shift in perspectives, gradually rippling outward to influence neighbourhoods, cities, regions, and ultimately, the planet. By focusing on the potential of streets as catalysts for systemic change, this session underscores their role in creating equitable, sustainable, and connected communities. Participants will examine strategies to create vibrant, inclusive spaces that prioritize children, foster social connections, and enhance climate resilience. By bridging global frameworks with local action and turning high-level strategies into actionable tactics and vice versa, participants will gain insights into practical approaches and collaborative methods that can scale from streets to cities and beyond.

Key themes include:

Showcasing Practical Tools: Exploring how global frameworks and design principles can be translated into tangible, local-level strategies for street transformation.

Harnessing Data-Driven Solutions: Demonstrating how urban data can inform planning, design, and implementation processes for creating equitable, people-centred streets.

Turning Tactical Interventions into Final Implementations: Exploring how tactical urbanism interventions can transition into long-term, permanent urban design solutions.

Highlighting Scaling-Up Strategies: Examining how localized interventions can evolve into comprehensive planning strategies to drive systemic, city-wide impact.

Promoting Learning Circles: Presenting a practice-oriented learning program that empowers municipalities to adopt a ‘learning by doing’ approach, fostering incremental change and mutual learning on a regional scale.

The session will conclude with a facilitated discussion, encouraging audience interaction to explore not just the success stories of street transformations but also the challenges of using tactical urbanism tools with strategic agents. The discussion will highlight the complexities of balancing quick wins with long-term systemic impact.

Key words: Child-friendly cities, street transformation, transformative change, tactical urbanism, data driven decision-making, local action