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Weaving digital technology into the ‘smart city’ to design more resilient vital infrastructure like mobility has become essential in the sustainable urban development toolkit.
With more than 60% of the country’s car production, Bursa is the engine of Türkiye's automotive industry. After decades of industrial expansion, Bursa’s transport system has struggled to adapt to the rapid urbanisation and population growth - leaving behind residents with reduced mobility and other underrepresented groups.
Drawing upon our different disciplines, including engineering, architecture, urban design and economics, Arup is working with Bursa’s Metropolitan Municipality (BMM) to create a policy-guided smart city strategy focused on improving transport accessibility.
Developed in collaboration with the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Arup is leading the Project Management Office supported by technical consultants EY to help local administration tackle some of the urban design and mobility issues the city faces. With urban sustainability and social inclusion as drivers, the bespoke guidelines will help Bursa analyse and leverage sensor-based data on aspects such as traffic levels, air quality, crowd sizes and more to identify specific pain-points throughout the city.
As the lead Delivery Partner for the Global Future Cities Prosperity Fund Programme in Türkiye, Arup is working with the UK FCDO on five initiatives across Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa over a 24-month period that will drive economic growth, equality and accessibility.
Project Summary
280% population surge in past 40 years
90local stakeholders
24month project
Adaptive mobility – a trusted partner
Designing a roadmap for improved mobility, connectivity and urban governance, the Bursa Smart City Transformation Framework will focus on expanding accessible infrastructure and services to create a more efficient and resilient transport network, resulting in a smarter public transport experience for all.
As trusted advisors to the municipality, we are working to create a smart city strategy informed by an extensive literature survey, global benchmarking, public surveys and stakeholder analysis. The strategic plan will be accompanied by an action plan, road map and specific project proposals to be rolled out and implemented within 24 months.
“Working with the city and other key actors, our smart city framework for Bursa will act as a roadmap towards delivering a more accessible transport system and improve mobility. ”
Cem Budak Arup Midlands Leader
Stakeholder Consultation and Collaboration - breaking down silos
Extensive consultations will bring together a large spectrum of stakeholders, from the municipality’s urban planners to key local actors such as the Chamber of Commerce, automotive and industry groups, local businesses as well as NGOs and active citizen groups.
These consultations will explore the concepts behind the Smart City and gather insights and feedback that can be put into practice. The workshops will work both as a stakeholder engagement exercise, and as an educational tool for those outside the professions traditionally associated with urban planning.
By bring together different city departments, the consultations will also encourage communication, break down silos and foster collaborative working relationships between Bursa’s major stakeholders.
The Smart City Observatory - Data and Knowledge Management
The Smart City Observatory will provide open access information online, including projects in progress and other city-wide changes in Smart City indicators.
Initially conceived as a website to disseminate information about the programme to local residents and the general public, the Smart City Observatory will be regularly updated with news, project progress and event details. Access to benchmarking data will also be provided during the programme’s later phases.
The success of Bursa’s Smart City Framework will be intrinsically linked to this data, enabling the local government to make informed decisions about future focus areas.
Capacity development– a Smart City Academy
Beyond the delivery of a Smart City strategy and the roll-out of early flagship initiatives, the legacy of the Bursa Smart City project will live on in the Smart City Academy, a permanent education and training centre for social groups and organisations from across Bursa.
A capacity development programme will establish a suite of training sessions and materials exploring a range of topics including Smart City basics, data literacy and data governance policies. This programme will be aimed at a variety of audiences from city authorities and civil servants to ICT start-ups, third sector organisations and local residents. Outreach activities such as the Smart City Conference will also help increase awareness of the social, environmental and economic benefits of the thinking behind the Smart City.
As the pilot of the Bursa Smart City Framework and to measure the digital transformation of the city, the municipality decided to prepare a LoRaWAN plan covering the whole metropolitan area by installing IoT-based sensors and gateways, which provide a constant communication infrastructure for the city’s future actions. The pilot project includes 55 different types of sensors for air quality, tilt control in historical buildings, noise, soil moisture and temperature, water leakage detection, smart metering, remote control of traffic devices and counting available disabled parking spaces – making this project a country-first for Türkiye.
Delivering the Smart City
This report, produced by Arup and University College London (UCL), analyses the spending patterns of eight major UK cities to gain an understanding of how much cities are paying for technology, as well as considering whether this expenditure is ‘smart’.
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