- Topic
- Urban mobility planning
- Country
- Turkey
- Resource type
- Case study
Figure 1: Izmir Urban Landscape with Multimodal Transport Infrastructure (Source: IMM)
İzmir, Türkiye’s third-largest city and a major economic hub, faces significant urban mobility challenges amid rapid population growth. In response, the city has developed its first fully integrated Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) through a collaborative process involving municipal departments, experts and citizens.
The plan uses scenario-based strategies to address climate goals, active mobility and public transport, resulting in 100 targeted measures supported by clear monitoring and financial frameworks. İzmir’s approach provides valuable lessons for other cities seeking to build resilient, inclusive and sustainable urban mobility systems.
Context
İzmir is a central hub in Türkiye for regional trade, commerce and cultural exchange. With a population of 4.5 million, the city plays a vital role in the national economy and is expected to see continued growth in both migration and employment.
However, the city faces ongoing transport challenges, particularly in the central business district. In line with its commitment to sustainable urban development, the city has conducted a comprehensive review of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The resulting SECAP[1] report identified the transport sector as a major contributor, representing 23.1 % of total emissions in 2018. Private vehicles, mostly older and fossil-fuel powered, are the primary source.
This environmental challenge has led İzmir to align itself with the EU Mission for 112 climate-neutral cities by 2030, reinforcing its commitment to the broader European sustainability agenda.
To meet its sustainability goals, İzmir is actively implementing key strategies, including:
İzmir Transportation Master Plan 2030 (UPI 2030) [2]
İzmir Sustainable Urban Logistics Plan (LOPI 2030) [3]
Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP İzmir)
The SUMP was developed between 2022 and 2025 by an international group of experts in cooperation with İzmir Metropolitan Municipality (IMM). This effort was financed by the European Union under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II), with additional support from the EU general budget and the European Development Fund (EDF). The World Bank participated as an observer.
These strategies are essential as İzmir’s population continues to grow at a rate of approximately 1 % per year, increasing demand on the city’s mobility systems and infrastructure.
Travel behaviour and modal split in İzmir
Understanding travel behaviour is crucial for the effective planning and implementation of sustainable mobility solutions. On average, residents make 2.9 trips per day. Walking is the most common mode, accounting for 38 % of trips, followed by:
Public transport (30 %)
Private vehicles (24 %)
Service vehicles for commuting to and from work/school (7 %)
Micromobility (1 %)
Figure 2: Modal share in Izmir (Source: SUMP Izmir, 2025)
The main purposes for these trips are work (38 %), shopping (20 %), leisure (12 %) and education (12 %) (see Figure 3). Walking is predominantly used for shopping (35 %), school (17 %), leisure (15 %) and work (14 %). Public transport and private vehicles are mainly used for commuting, with work-related trips accounting for 42 % of public transport journeys and 48 % of private car trips.
Figure 3: Primary trip purposes in İzmir (Source: SUMP Izmir, 2025)
When it comes to trip distances, public transport trips in Izmir tend to be significantly longer, averaging around 40 minutes, while private car trips are shorter by comparison, averaging 25 minutes. Walking trips, which form a substantial part of daily mobility in Izmir, are naturally much shorter, averaging just 13 minutes, as they typically serve short-distance needs.
In action
The SUMP process reflects İzmir's ambition to transform its mobility system through a comprehensive, inclusive and evidence-based approach.
The process began with a mobilisation and inception phase, which assessed institutional capacities and mapped the local planning context. An interdepartmental SUMP team was established within İzmir Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) to ensure coordination, ownership and integration with local governance structures.
A thorough analysis of İzmir’s mobility landscape followed. It examined demographic trends, employment patterns, climate impacts, governance structures and mobility habits. Surveys, GIS-based spatial analysis and policy reviews provided a strong technical foundation. This evidence-based approach identified not only key challenges, but also opportunities for sustainable transformation.
Figure 5: Team Collaboration within IMM Units (Source: Rupprecht Consult)
Stakeholder engagement and capacity building
In parallel, a strong social and cooperative process was launched. A capacity-building programme included staff training, workshops and study visits. Extensive stakeholder engagement through technical and public workshops ensured that diverse local perspectives were embedded throughout the planning process. These workshops also served as key validation checkpoints at each stage of development.
Figure 6: On-Site Stakeholder Engagement (Source: Rupprecht Consult)
Participation extended beyond formal workshops and meetings. Three citizen outreach events were held in public spaces, where information booths invited residents to learn about the SUMP and share feedback. These events helped validate findings and ensure the strategy responded to real mobility needs, building transparency, trust and shared ownership.
Scenario development and strategic vision
A core element of the SUMP was the development of four alternative future scenarios. These were created through a structured, two-step process grounded in İzmir’s needs and ambitions:
The Mobile Scenario focused on improving accessibility across the metropolitan area through stronger public transport and integrated systems, including sea transport.
The Inclusive/Active Scenario focused on neighbourhood-scale mobility, prioritising walkability, active travel and equitable street design.
The Smart Scenario reflected İzmir’s digital ambitions, with a focus on innovations in traffic and parking management.
The Carbon-Neutral Scenario responded to long-term GHG reduction goals and placed sustainability at the centre.
These scenarios were refined in a technical workshop with local and international experts, incorporating prior analyses and stakeholder inputs. Each scenario served as a lens to explore potential trade-offs and synergies.
Figure 7: Alternative Future Scenarios for Izmir (Source: SUMP Izmir, 2025)
To align with climate goals, a backcasting scenario based on the Carbon-Neutral pathway was developed. This approach worked backwards from İzmir’s 2040 GHG reduction targets to define a realistic and actionable strategy. Key outputs included forecasted modal shares, policy implications and investment needs.
The Inclusive/Active İzmir and Mobile İzmir scenarios emerged as the most effective for supporting İzmir’s sustainability goals. Recognising the need for both city-wide multimodal integration and local accessibility, a hybrid scenario was adopted as the preferred strategic direction.
Measure planning and implementation
From the preferred scenario, a clear vision was formed, structured around six leading objectives and 23 sub-objectives, which together shaped the development of targeted measures. These objectives form the core of İzmir’s mobility transformation roadmap:
(1) enhancing public transport performance and network integration to make collective travel faster and more attractive than private car use;
(2) developing a walkable and cyclable city through continuous, safe and accessible infrastructure;
(3) improving road safety for all, with particular focus on vulnerable users such as pedestrians, cyclists, children and those with reduced mobility;
(4) enabling sustainable and efficient urban logistics that reduce congestion and environmental impacts;
(5) advancing smart, data-driven mobility management supported by ITS and digital integration; and
(6) accelerating the decarbonisation of the urban transport system through clean fleets, low-emission zones and climate-responsive planning.
These six pillars are operationalised through 23 sub-objectives, which translate ambition into measurable progress. In summary, they address public transport reliability and capacity, multimodal transfers across rail–bus–sea systems, coverage in underserved districts, continuous cycling corridors and barrier-free pedestrian design, enforcement and intersection upgrades for safety, freight consolidation and cleaner last-mile fleets, structured loading/unloading zones, MaaS integration, fare optimisation, ITS-based network management, open mobility data, EV charging expansion, and improved climate and air-quality monitoring. Together, they form the basis for the measures adopted in the Action Plan.
Figure 8: Common Vision and Objectives for Izmir (Source: SUMP Izmir, 2025)
The SUMP then advanced into the measure planning and adoption phase, producing a package of interventions supported by a detailed monitoring framework, financial modelling and identification of funding sources. To support implementation, capacity-building efforts continued, including targeted training for municipal staff and enhanced public visibility of the SUMP’s goals. These institutional and financial foundations ensured that the vision could be translated into action rather than remaining a strategic exercise on paper.
In total, 100 measures were defined and grouped into seven packages. These include: (i) Active mobility; (ii) Shared and public transport; (iii) Smart mobility management; (iv) Environmentally, sustainable and climate-resilient mobility; (v) Accessible, inclusive and safe mobility; (vi) Urban logistics, freight and spatial transport; (vii) Collaborative planning.
Figure 9: SUMP Izmir Measure Packages (Source: SUMP Izmir, 2025)
Short-term measures (2025–2030) focus on interventions that can be deployed quickly, visibly and with moderate investment, with the purpose of shifting behaviour early. These include redesigned pedestrian crossings, sidewalk widening and safe routes to schools, pop-up or temporary cycling lanes evolving into permanent corridors, new bike parking in public transport interchanges, bus-priority and signal priority pilots on key arterials, express bus routes, integrated ticketing and fare simplification, street-level logistics micro-hubs, real-time passenger information, and low-cost urban greening for shade and heat comfort. This phase prioritises speed of implementation, immediate safety gains and better service quality to build public trust and support for more ambitious change.
Long-term measures (2030 onwards) establish the structural transformation needed for a climate-neutral mobility system. These include metro and tram capacity expansion, new transfer terminals, full electrification of bus fleets and municipal vehicles, large-scale freight consolidation platforms, regulated zero-emission delivery zones, full ITS-integrated corridor management, continuous and protected cycling networks that extend across districts, major pedestrianisation of central areas, completion of blue-green corridors, and resilient coastal and riverfront mobility landscapes. These measures require higher investment, phased delivery and institutional readiness, but they are fundamental to locking in mode shift, emission reduction and liveability gains.
Results
The SUMP İzmir project successfully delivered the city’s first fully integrated SUMP through a highly participatory capacity-building process. It brought together stakeholders from municipal departments, public institutions, civil society and expert networks, ensuring that diverse perspectives shaped every stage of planning.
Extensive engagement activities, including technical workshops, public consultations, and interdepartmental coordination, helped strengthen institutional capacity and embed a culture of collaboration.
The project introduced a scenario-based planning approach to explore future mobility pathways. This informed the development of a shared vision and six strategic goals, further broken down into 23 measurable objectives. These formed the basis for identifying and prioritising specific interventions.
Using structured, multi-criteria assessment and stakeholder validation, the project defined 100 targeted, actionable mobility measures, grouped into 7 thematic areas.
The measures are supported by a monitoring & evaluation framework, ensuring continuous tracking of progress and alignment with İzmir’s sustainability targets. A dedicated cost-benefit analysis and financial plan support feasibility and strategic prioritisation.
The SUMP marks a significant step forward in integrated urban mobility planning, institutional learning and coordinated action - laying the groundwork for a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable transport future.
Challenges, opportunities and transferability
The transport modelling process in İzmir was resource-intensive and time-consuming, which temporarily delayed progress on other project tasks. Nevertheless, the project successfully introduced a tailor-made Activity-Based Model (ABM) to support decision-making and scenario testing.
However, financial constraints remain a major issue. The ambitious Action Plan of the SUMP requires significant investment for full implementation. Maintaining continuous and effective monitoring is also difficult due to the high resource demands for ongoing data collection and evaluation. In addition, evolving institutional dynamics and shifts in policy priorities underscore the importance of flexibility and adaptability throughout the planning process.
While delivery of quantitative data from the model experienced delays, participatory processes provided a valuable complement. These efforts diversified data sources and helped fill information gaps using qualitative insights, enriching the understanding of local mobility challenges and opportunities.
This collaborative process generated enthusiasm, created a shared vision, and ensured that the city’s mobility objectives reflected a wide range of community perspectives. The resulting SUMP Action Plan addresses both global challenges, such as greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and local priorities, including road safety and quality of life improvements.
The process also enhanced interdepartmental collaboration within the municipality and strengthened local capacity for sustainable urban mobility planning.
İzmir’s experience offers important lessons for other cities pursuing sustainable urban mobility planning under similar constraints:
- Early investment in data infrastructure and modelling capacity is essential to avoid delays
- When quantitative data is limited, participatory methods provide a replicable alternative for collecting diverse input and qualitative evidence
- A well-designed multi-stakeholder process can help align local priorities with national and European guidelines
Finally, the integrated SUMP lays the groundwork for İzmir’s future participation in European research and innovation projects, illustrating how local strategies can link to broader collaborative networks for funding and knowledge sharing.
In depth
[2] https://www.izmir.bel.tr/CKYuklenen/dokumanlar_2018/upi_sonuc_ozeti.pdf
Authors: Sara Abu Henedy, Susanne Boehler-Baedeker & Carolina Ramos
Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.
Photo credits © IMM; Izmir SUMP, 2025; Rupprecht Consult;