The second workshop organised as part of the ‘Water in Istanbul: Rising to the Challenge?’ Project was held on Thursday 17th March at the Marmara Pera Hotel in Istanbul.
More than 40 people attended the workshop, including representatives of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration, Kadıköy District Municipality, the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the private sector, academics and NGO workers.
Following a welcome and introduction from BIAA Director Dr Lutgarde Vandeput, the first session began with Professor Jim Crow’s presentation about historic water management structures and their maintenance. This was followed by Dr Çiğdem Özkan Aygün’s presentation introducing new archaeological findings regarding water storage and distribution around the Topkapı area of Istanbul.
Following the presentations relating to the city’s history, participants discussed how to identify barriers to implementing sustainable rainwater harvesting systems and co-creating solutions to overcome these challenges in the contemporary socio-political conditions of Istanbul.
The event was highly successful and will facilitate the widespread use of rainwater collection systems in the city. Problems encountered in the installation process of a rainwater harvesting system, from planning to the end-user stage, were discussed in depth. Participants from local government took notes that could contribute directly to their application processes, as well as to the revision of city-level regulations.
This collaboration will be enriched by upcoming workshops to be reformulated according to the local needs and held throughout 2022.
