Two Good Practices from MMU Members Featured in NALAS’ Gender-Responsive Budgeting Booklet
Highlighting the impact of integrating a gender equality perspective into local government budget decisions on access to services, social inclusion and quality of life, the booklet* presents a broad range of successful practices, from women’s economic empowerment and the care economy to inclusive rural development and efforts to combat gender-based violence.
The booklet also features two good practices implemented in Türkiye by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality and Bağcılar Municipality, both members of Marmara Municipalities Union. The stories of the two municipalities were compiled by urban planner Dr. Ervin Sezgin.
Bursa Purple Map: A Data-Driven Approach to Equality
Bursa Metropolitan Municipality’s “Bursa Purple Map” (Mor Haritam Bursa) initiative, featured in the publication, is presented as an example of how gender-responsive budgeting can be strengthened through digital technologies and data-driven decision-making processes.
Launched in 2024, the platform brings together data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) with the municipality’s own education, health, and social services data, enabling gender-based analysis at the neighborhood level. Continuously updated thanks to its API-based infrastructure, the system makes visible the inequalities faced by women and disadvantaged groups in accessing services, contributing to fairer and needs-based planning of the municipality’s resources.
Based on data obtained through the platform, awareness-raising activities on gender roles were carried out in areas where women’s access to services was limited, and childcare services and neighborhood-based social support programs were planned. Reaching approximately 30,000 users per month, the application stands out as one of the key tools supporting the implementation of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality’s 2024-2026 Local Equality Action Plan. “Bursa Purple Map” was also named a finalist in the Living & Inclusion category at the 2025 Smart City Expo World Congress.
Bağcılar Municipality: Empowering Women with Disabilities Through Sport
Another initiative featured in the booklet is Bağcılar Municipality’s “Women’s Para Sports Club”. Founded in 2008, the club aims to empower women with disabilities through sport, strengthen their active participation in social life, and break down gender stereotypes. Initially operating in a limited number of disciplines, the club now serves more than 200 athletes across 11 para sports disciplines, 80 of whom are women.
Using gender-responsive budgeting tools, the municipality analyzed women’s needs and developed measures such as free transportation, sports equipment support, psychological counselling for families, and home visits by role-model female athletes to other families. Thanks to this approach, women athletes’ participation in sports has increased roughly tenfold since the club’s founding, while medals won in national and international competitions have significantly boosted the visibility and self-confidence of women with disabilities.
The publication assesses the Bağcılar model not only as a sporting achievement but as a holistic local government approach that supports the participation of women with disabilities in education, employment, and social life.
Prepared as part of the “Gender Mainstreaming in Local Service Delivery across South-East Europe through NALAS” project implemented by NALAS, the publication was developed within the framework of the “Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Budgets: Towards Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Republic of North Macedonia – Phase 2” project, implemented by UN Women and funded by Switzerland, and the Sweden-funded “Promoting Gender Responsive Governance in the Republic of North Macedonia” programme.
