15mC Topic 3: historic bazaar street and neighbourhood economy (Mardin case, city not confirmed)

Project idea for DUT Call 2026, 15-minute City Topic 3: Nurture neighbourhood economies – activate innovation in local everyday offers.

The case

Mardin 1st Avenue is the main commercial axis of the historic centre: local shops and crafts, visitor flows, parking and loading pressure, and a long-running pedestrianisation debate. The question is not only traffic. It is how pedestrian access, short-distance mobility and street operations support or damage a neighbourhood economy.

What is already done

In 2025 I prepared traffic impact analyses for the Mardin 1st Avenue pedestrianisation project (consultancy study). That work covers circulation, accessibility and operational effects of pedestrianisation. It is not a DUT project and it does not mean that Mardin Metropolitan Municipality is already a consortium partner.

City status (honest)

I will contact Mardin Metropolitan Municipality if this idea attracts partners. No letter of intent exists yet. Do not treat the city as confirmed.

What I offer

- Traffic and accessibility analysis for a pedestrianised historic commercial street

- Simulation of circulation, access, loading windows and displacement of car traffic

- Impact of street design on walking access to local shops and services

- A Turkish historic-centre case that other cities can compare with

Partners I need (two countries besides Türkiye)

- A research group on neighbourhood economy, local retail, tourism-local trade balance or community wealth

- A municipality or local authority with a similar historic or commercial street (pedestrianisation, ground-floor retail, loading, visitor vs resident use)

- Optional: urban design / heritage partner, if they work on everyday use rather than conservation only

Consortium note

DUT requires at least three partners from three participating countries and one municipality. This posting starts the search. The Mardin city role will be discussed only after first contact with the municipality.

Who should write

Coordinators or partners building a Topic 3 proposal who need a mobility work package and a historic-street case in Türkiye.

Institution

Gebze Technical University, Institute of Transportation Technologies.

Göker Aksoy, Associate Professor.