Imagining Marmara: Urban Life Workshops

Through Urban Life Workshops organised in collaboration with the Marmara Municipalities Union and Arkki Türkiye, supported by Kalebodur and hosted by municipalities, children will imagine Marmara as part of a more liveable world. The workshops aim to help children aged 7–12 living in the Marmara Region see their surroundings from different perspectives through design.

As part of the Marmara Urban Forum (MARUF) and MARUF on the Go events, “Imagining Marmara: Urban Life Workshops”, held from 21 August to 23 September 2023, invite children from 11 cities in the Marmara Region to imagine the environments they would like to live in.

Supported by Kalebodur, which continues to develop sustainable projects across different platforms, including academic initiatives, the workshops aim to help children in the region see their surroundings from different perspectives and evaluate urban spaces through a design lens.

Following the workshops, children’s ideas and designs for the cities of the future will be compiled into a report. The outcomes will be shared with MARUF participants through a special session and exhibition at MARUF23.

In the Urban Life Workshop, children will use three-dimensional models to build their ideas for making future cities beautiful, sustainable and inclusive. After considering topics such as new technologies, sustainability, integration and regeneration, they take part in design-thinking processes that emphasise hands-on drawing and model-making. Each child designs a chosen function within an imaginary city, such as housing, a park, an office or a hospital. In the final stage, they share the parts they have built with their friends and bring them together to create the city of the future.