Marmara Municipalities Union Hosts West Attica University (UNIWA) in Istanbul within the Scope of the NUMA Project
About the NUMA Project
The NextGen Urban Mobility Academy (NUMA) project is a year-long initiative focused on urban mobility in Athens and Istanbul, carried out in partnership between West Attica University, Marmara Municipalities Union, Ardem Project, and EcoMuse Consulting.
The project is supported by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). EIT Urban Mobility aims to accelerate transformation in the field of mobility to make cities more livable.
NUMA seeks to strengthen long-term innovation capacity in cities by bringing together education, research, and business under the “knowledge triangle” approach. Key activities include developing training programs for municipal staff and university students, organizing stakeholder events, and promoting the participation of women in urban mobility.
Hosting Program
Tuesday, 28 October — The program began with an opening session hosted by MMU at the Osman Nuri Ergin Meeting Hall. Following a presentation introducing MMU and the activities carried out within the scope of NUMA, the 11th NUMA Project Meeting took place. The session addressed the current status of project activities, preparations for the November program, and potential areas of collaboration.
Wednesday, 29 October — The day started with a presentation of MMU’s “Reclaiming Streets” program. The session discussed street safety practices by the examples from Istanbul and Athens. This was followed by field trips to reclaimed areas in the Eyüpsultan and Üsküdar districts. The findings were discussed during a wrap-up evaluation session at the end of the day.
Thursday, 30 October — The program continued with the “Experience Sharing Meeting”, which brought together NUMA partners and a broad range of stakeholders. The EIT Urban Mobility Türkiye shared information on national-scale mobility projects, funding opportunities, and the EEN ecosystem. This was followed by presentations from the İstanbul and Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipalities on their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP). Throughout the day, participants exchanged insights on mobility projects, funding sources, and SUMP implementation practices.
During the three full days at MMU, participants had the opportunity to observe current urban mobility practices on-site and share experiences directly with project partners and national stakeholders. The visit concluded with the development of a new roadmap for collaboration in the field of urban mobility.
