Prof. Dr. Hilmi Berk Çelikoğlu, a faculty member at Istanbul Technical University's Faculty of Civil Engineering, played a key role in an international and ambitious research project that aims to bring the "15-minute city" model, one of the most innovative concepts of modern urban life, to the often neglected peripheries of cities in his scientific career. In the FORTHCOMING project supported by the Horizon Europe Program, it had the opportunity to implement its vision of sustainable urban planning on an international platform by taking responsibility for both the integration of mobility systems and the development of digitalization strategies.

Within the scope of the project, it was investigated how the 15-minute city model, which is successful in city centers, can be applied in urban outskirts with low density and limited transportation options. Çelikoğlu and the ITU team were responsible for the development of sustainable logistics and mobility as a service (MaaS) solutions for Istanbul-Küçükçekmece, one of the six European case studies of the project. This process involved designing innovative strategies to reduce the dependence on private vehicles and make urban peripheries more livable.

"Not only the centers of our cities, but also the peripheries should be livable, accessible and sustainable. Adapting the 15-minute city vision to these challenging regions took my scientific vision and engineering problem-solving approach to the next level. Offering more options to people by integrating different types of transportation with digital platforms that offer mobility as a service has strengthened my researcher identity to build a bridge between technology and urban planning," says Çelikoğlu.

The international consortium, which undertook the execution of the project and brought together partners from different cities such as Madrid, Turin and Lisbon, not only developed a theoretical model, but also aimed to create applicable guides by testing the developed informatics-based solutions and strategies with the participation of stakeholders. The case study in Istanbul allowed for the production of original and local solutions to the challenges faced in the urban peripheries.

While ITU brings together Europe's most up-to-date urban planning vision with the realities of Istanbul, it also offers our pioneering academics such as Prof. Dr. Hilmi Berk Çelikoğlu the opportunity to be a part of an international network and produce solutions to global urban problems. Çelikoğlu's role in this project is the product of an environment in which our university transforms its scientific knowledge into concrete policies that will improve the quality of life of city residents.