Marmara in Harmony with Water: The Story of My Coastal City Workshop

As part of MARUF on the Go, the workshops titled “Marmara in Harmony with Water: The Story of My Coastal City” will be held in collaboration with MMU and Arkki Türkiye, hosted by local municipalities.

The workshops aim to engage children aged 8–14 living in the Marmara Region in developing innovative solutions for inclusive, nature-based, and water-integrated coastal cities, with an environmentally sensitive perspective on the marine ecosystem.

Hosted by 10 municipalities across 7 cities bordering the Sea of Marmara, the workshops will take place throughout July and August. The initiative seeks to equip children with the skills to evaluate their surroundings from different angles and to approach urban spaces with a design-oriented mindset.

At the end of the workshop process, the ideas and models created by the children will be presented to local government representatives. All outputs will then be compiled into a report and showcased at MARUF25.

Workshop Objectives

• Raise awareness among children about the ecological health of the Marmara Sea, the water cycle, and the importance of coastal life.
• Instill an understanding of sustainable and inclusive approaches to cities and the built environment.
• Encourage children to perceive their surroundings and living spaces from diverse perspectives through a design lens.
• Inspire children to design inclusive, resilient, and water-integrated public spaces in Marmara’s coastal cities that can adapt to climate change.
• Support the development of innovation skills in children—including problem-solving, creative thinking, and collaboration—through a design thinking approach.
• Empower children as active stakeholders in urban planning processes, strengthening democratic participation and active citizenship awareness.
• Ensure the visibility of children's perspectives in urban policies and projects by sharing their ideas and proposals with local governments.