The importance of inter-municipal cooperation for solving the housing crisis was emphasized.
Modern.az reports that Irem Korkmaz, Director of the Urban Policy Center of the Marmara Municipalities Union, said this at a discussion titled “When Housing Brings Cities Together: Local Cooperation in Practice” within the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
The speaker stated that in the current conditions, cooperation is no longer an option, but a necessity:
“When land is limited, resources are depleted, and municipalities face several crises simultaneously, no city can cope with problems alone.”
According to her, cooperation should not be limited to discussions, but should be accompanied by practical mechanisms:
“Municipal structures can play an important role in transforming local housing needs into fundable and scalable solutions.”
Irem Korkmaz noted that in the first stage, it is important to form a reliable database:
“Housing needs can only be financed when they are accurately identified. For this, it must be clearly known which areas are affected, what the infrastructure limitations are, and what types of housing solutions are needed.”
She stated that municipal associations can support the process of data collection and systematization:
“Although many municipalities have serious needs, they often lack the technical capacity to present them in the form of evidence-based and structured projects.”
The speaker added that the second important issue is the preparation of project portfolios ready for financing:
“Municipalities often have ideas and urgent needs, but they do not have ready projects. Associations can help in preparing feasibility studies, establishing contacts with experts, and adapting projects to financial mechanisms.”
Irem Korkmaz emphasized that housing policy should be considered together with integrated urban planning:
“The housing issue cannot be viewed only as the construction of residential buildings. This issue should be planned in connection with public transport, infrastructure, basic services, employment, and public spaces.”
She noted that discussions held at the Marmara Urban Forum (MARUF) also showed that adequate housing provision is directly related to sustainable urban development.
