The sustainable development of our cities takes vision. Turning that vision into a low-carbon reality, however, demands a detailed, timed and costed plan. Delivering that detail, which can open up funding for the city in question, can begin with a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAP).

When the municipalities of Adana and Manisa, on the eastern and western edges of Turkey, began this journey, they turned to Arup to help develop their SECAP programmes.

We used our experience of Green City Action Plans and other environmental funding programmes to help Adana and Manisa target greener growth with clear-sighted, investable plans. We helped them identify targets – a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 – and provided a baseline inventory of current emissions as well as an analysis of current shortfalls. We helped create a roadmap to carbon reduction through the SECAP.  

We used our experience of Green City Action Plans and other environmental funding programmes to help Adana and Manisa target greener growth with clear-sighted, investable plans. We helped them identify targets – a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 – and provided a baseline inventory of current emissions as well as an analysis of current shortfalls. We helped create a roadmap to carbon reduction through the SECAP.  

Taking a systems wide approach

For Adana and Manisa we took system-wide views of the activities for which they have direct responsibility (such as solid waste, water and wastewater) or for which they grant licences (such as public transport). Taking that wider view demands a multidisciplinary approach. Alongside our experts in advisory and environmental services, water engineering and transport planning, we collaborate with academics from Türkiye’s leading universities on issues from urban planning to climate change and risk analysis. 

Adana

Adana’s key challenge is economic. At 20%, the unemployment rate is well above the 14% national average. Agriculture is a significant local industry in the city. Our recommended actions focused on increasing the mobility of its workforce and making better use of assets and resources. Agricultural irrigation, for example, is currently localised and inefficient. Our proposals include a system-wide view of the industry’s water needs to reduce consumption. Similarly, heat energy from local industry could be captured to provide low-carbon heating for Adana’s homes. To give the local workforce access to affordable public transport, our sustainable mobility masterplan sets out a change of modes, from carbon-costly private vehicles to a new metro and a network of electric buses.  

Manisa

Manisa has a strong local economy with low unemployment. It is a major hub for the manufacturing of televisions and computers and its proximity to Izmir – Türkiye’s third largest city – is both a benefit and, environmentally, a hindrance.  

Many of the workers in Manisa’s industrial zones live in Izmir, requiring daily commutes to their jobs. To serve them, multiple competing bus services duplicate routes and timetables and through its licensing powers, the municipality has the opportunity to maximise the efficiency of bus services, as well as to promote electric bus services and to introduce a rail link between the two cities. 

The Mediterranean climate that sustains Manisa’s agriculture is also a valuable potential source of renewable energy.
The Mediterranean climate that sustains Manisa’s agriculture is also a valuable potential source of renewable energy.

To help cities to articulate a shared vision and plan, as well as delivering on that plan, our advice is to reshape their organisational structure. Each department now includes at least one individual focused on the sustainable development agenda. As an interdepartmental working group, they can now build the cohesive funding applications that banks favour. Our stakeholder engagement programme is also building stronger relationships between the municipalities and providers such as energy companies whose data is essential to SECAPs.