CIVITAS Study Visits in Kadikoy and Riga: Paving the Way for Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Transformations
Replication & Deployment Programme
As part of the CIVITAS Replication and Deployment Programme, two parallel study visits recently took place in Kadikoy (Turkey) and Riga (Latvia). These visits brought together mobility experts, urban planners, and local stakeholders to address the cities’ unique urban challenges through the lenses of accessibility, placemaking, and participatory practices. With a focus on universal design, co-creation, and tactical urbanism, both cities are making significant strides towards creating more inclusive and resilient urban environments.
Kadikoy: Addressing Barriers to Accessibility
In Kadikoy, participants from cities across Europe, including Barcelona, Łódź, Komotini, Ghent, Warsaw, Budapest, and Vienna, collaborated to help the district tackle its accessibility challenges. Kadikoy’s central neighbourhoods face significant barriers, particularly for people with reduced mobility or cognitive impairments, in terms of walkability and public space accessibility.
The study visit opened with a detailed exploration of these challenges, followed by interactive co-creation workshops where experts and champion cities shared innovative strategies. Building on these discussions, Kadikoy has committed to launching a comprehensive data collection process to map existing barriers in the area. This process will involve identifying barrier and obstacles that affect mobility and accessibility in the urban landscape for people with physical or cognitive impairments.
Additionally, Kadikoy plans to engage the local community by hosting a series of events involving residents, persons with disabilities, and NGOs. These events will raise awareness, gather feedback, and ensure that the voices of those most affected by these barriers are at the centre of the redesign process. The ultimate goal is to create a more inclusive public space that caters to the needs of all users, aligning with the principles of universal design.
The study visit also laid the foundation for Kadikoy to develop their deployment plan, the final output that each CIVITAS Challenge city in the Replication and Deployment Programme will produce. For Kadikoy, this plan will outline the key steps and timeline for implementing the redesigned public spaces, ensuring that accessibility and inclusivity are prioritized in every phase of the project.
Check out photos from the Study Visit in Kadikoy here.
Riga: Transforming Soviet-Era Residential Spaces through Tactical Urbanism
Simultaneously, a parallel study visit was held in Riga, which identified specific challenges related to placemaking in its Soviet-era residential neighbourhoods. These areas are characterised by chaotic, car-dominated spaces between apartment buildings, which lack proper infrastructure for pedestrians and public activities.
Champion cities, Utrecht and Warsaw, alongside experts in tactical urbanism and co-creation, joined local stakeholders to explore strategies for transforming these underutilised spaces. The focus was on creating a roadmap that combines temporary urban interventions with awareness-raising campaigns to empower residents and local stakeholders to take ownership of public space improvements in their neighbourhoods. This collaborative approach aims to foster greater community involvement in redesigning their surroundings, thereby creating more inclusive and vibrant urban areas.
Over the course of the three-day visit, participants engaged in workshops, site visits, and discussions on how tactical urbanism could be a catalyst for reclaiming pedestrian spaces and greening these neglected areas. The study visit also sparked fresh ideas on how to overcome legal and ownership barriers, and led to the co-creation of actionable solutions that could significantly improve the quality of life for residents.
Check out photos from the Study Visit in Riga here.
Next Steps: Deployment Plans Coming Soon
As these study visits conclude, both Kadikoy and Riga are preparing their Deployment plans. These plans will outline the detailed steps for implementing the solutions co-created during the visits.
The Deployment plans from all the six Challenge cities that took part in the first cycle of the programme will be showcased in a full publication in Summer 2025. Stay tuned!
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Author: Arianna Americo
