Fostering Dialogue Against Polarization: City Talks Report Released
The comprehensive report for the "City Talks" event series, organized in collaboration with the Istanbul Planning Agency, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and the Human Rights Academy, has been published. The report examines critical urban issues such as the right to sport, the climate crisis, and food security through the lens of deliberative dialogue among citizens with contrasting views.
The comprehensive final report for the City Talks series, jointly organized by the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA), the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), and the Human Rights Academy (IHA), has been officially released to the public. Designed to counter social polarization and build constructive grounds for discussion, the program adapts the Germany-originated My City/Country Talks methodology to bring contrasting voices of Istanbul together at the same table.
Drawing from two core sessions held on September 28 and October 22, 2026, the report synthesizes expert insights and participant deliberations. The first gathering focused on Sport, Urban Space, and Accessibility with contributions from Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlknur Hacısoftaoğlu and Prof. Dr. Bilge Doruk. Discussions centered on treating sport as a public right rather than a commercial service, analyzing the legacy and gentrification risks of mega-events like the upcoming 2027 European Games, and integrating child protection and neighborhood-level inclusion.
The second gathering shifted focus toward the COP31 horizon under the theme The Climate Crisis and the City, featuring presentations by Dr. Uygar Özesmi and Res. Asst. Dr. İrfan Emre Kovankaya. This session addressed systemic urban vulnerabilities, moving from a consuming city to a prosuming city model, closing local water, energy, and food cycles, mitigating food inflation, and strengthening short supply chains.
Utilizing an algorithmic matching process that intentionally pairs participants with the most divergent survey responses, the project mapped out shared ground and persistent disagreements across contentious topics, such as individual behavioral changes versus infrastructure investments, municipal spending transparency, and regulatory enforcement. The report concludes with actionable policy recommendations grounded in data-driven planning, environmental justice, and participatory governance.
You can find the full report here.