Municipality offers a real-life pilot for adaptive reuse and 15-minute city

Kdz. Ereğli Municipality (Türkiye) is interested in joining a consortium preparing a proposal under the DUT Call 2026, particularly within the topics of adaptive reuse of existing urban structures and spaces, 15-minute city approaches and circular urban economies.

Located on the Black Sea coast, Kdz. Ereğli is a medium-sized coastal city with a compact urban centre, waterfront public spaces, cultural assets and an active local creative economy. The Municipality can provide real-life urban environments for co-design, testing, demonstration and evaluation of innovative urban transition solutions.

One potential pilot area is Sanat Sokağı (Art Street), a municipally owned cultural and creative space of approximately 3,010 m² located along the waterfront. Operating since 2019, the area includes 32 artisan stalls, currently supporting 22 women producers as well as local craftspeople and practitioners of traditional arts and living cultural heritage.

Demand for the area significantly exceeds its existing capacity, with approximately 80 applications for stalls. At the same time, the site faces challenges including seasonal use, climatic exposure, infrastructure limitations, spatial constraints and vulnerability to extreme coastal weather events. The area was affected by the severe storm and flooding of 19 November 2023.

Beyond Sanat Sokağı, the Municipality is interested in exploring a broader urban pilot linking the waterfront, public spaces, cultural areas, pedestrian accessibility, local economic activities and community services.

We are particularly interested in approaches that can:

• adapt and reuse existing public spaces instead of creating new urban structures;

• strengthen year-round and multifunctional use of urban areas;

• improve walkability and accessibility to everyday services and activities;

• support local neighbourhood economies and creative entrepreneurship;

• integrate climate resilience and green-blue infrastructure;

• strengthen circular approaches to urban development;

• involve residents, artisans, businesses and local stakeholders in co-design processes;

• generate solutions that can be replicated in other small and medium-sized European cities.

What Kdz. Ereğli Municipality can offer:

• municipally owned real-life pilot and demonstration areas;

• direct access to local communities, artisans, women producers, businesses and other stakeholders;

• local implementation and stakeholder engagement capacity;

• municipal data and local evidence;

• opportunities for co-design, testing, demonstration and impact assessment;

• an established cultural and creative ecosystem;

• a coastal urban context exposed to climate-related challenges;

• potential for replication and knowledge exchange with other European cities.

Kdz. Ereğli Municipality is interested in joining a multidisciplinary consortium involving universities, research organisations, municipalities, SMEs and other relevant organisations.

We are particularly interested in contributing as a public authority, pilot municipality, demonstration site and local implementation partner.

We welcome contact from coordinators and consortium partners looking for a committed municipality and real-life urban pilot environment for DUT Call 2026.