Toward Good Governance in Pendik

1
Toward Good Governancein Pendik

• Pendik Local Development Platform
• 21 April 2005,
• Sabanci University

2

• As is known, the new legislation on the
  restructuring of local governments in Turkey, the
  so-called public reform, holds municipalities
  responsible for the development of the town
  economically, socially, and culturally, in
  addition to provision of infrastructural services
  and routine municipality-related activities.

3
Historical Background of Local Administration
System in Turkey

• In Turkey, until very recently, due to the
  tradition of highly centralized government
  inherited from the Ottoman Empire, the fate of a
  region or a city was very much linked to the
  central power, and there was a lack of authority
  on the part of local governments to make
  strategic plans or generate revenues.

4
Historical Background of Local Administration
System in Turkey

• planning has been viewed as a technical issue
  requiring specialized training and expertise,
  rather than a dialogue involving the public about
  which values should be advanced in the city
  development

5
Historical Background of Local Administration
System in Turkey

• Today, it is openly acknowledged that coping with
  the problems of urbanization, which include
  housing, the environment, transportation,
  economic development, community integration, and
  poverty, requires a thorough change in the way
  local governments are structured and urban
  politics are conducted.

6
Basic Dimensions of Local Government Reform

• Articles 14 and 15 of the Municipality Act allows
  public administration bodies to develop
  stakeholder relations with private sector and
  non-governmental organizations. Local
  administrations are given incentives to take
  action on local issues and allocate land either
  free of charge or at a low price, and with the
  authorization of the Ministry of the Interior, to
  projects that aim to improve health, education,
  social service, and tourism related services.

7
Basic Dimensions of Local Government Reform

• Moreover, the Article 41 of the Act gives the
  local governments with a population above 50,000
  the duty of preparing a strategic plan by taking
  into consideration the views of if applicable
  universities, vocational chambers, and relevant
  non governmental organizations, and putting it
  into effect after it is ratified by the municipal
  assembly. In this context, the municipalities in
  Turkey are in the process of preparing the first
  generation of strategic plans for their
  localities.

8
Pendik Local Development Initiative

• With a current population of nearly 400,000 (SIS,
  2000), Pendik is a relatively peripheral
  sub-province of Metropolitan Istanbul, with good
  land and sea transport connections and a newly
  built airport nearby. With the basic aim of
  contributing to Pendiks multi-faceted
  development process, Pendik Municipality founded
  the Pendik Local Development Platform with the
  participation of numerous stakeholders from
  different backgrounds, under the coordination of
  the Research Planning and Coordination (APK)
  Directorate.

9
Pendik Local Development Initiative

• An example of the multi-stakeholder spirit of
  this pilot project is Pendik Municipalitys
  collaboration with Sabanci University, located in
  the area. Joint efforts that began during the
  Local Development Platforms formation process in
  the form of discussion meetings in 2003, were
  transformed into a formal partnership at the
  beginning of 2005. Within the context of this
  partnership, Sabanci University has undertaken
  the responsibility of providing support to the
  Pendik Local Development Platform on the topics
  of Research, Development, Guidance, Training and
  Organization for a full year .

10
Pendik Local Development Project

• The Pendik Local Development Platform comprises
  regional parliamentarians, and representatives of
  various institutions such as the municipality,
  central administration, universities,
  professional associations (Istanbul Chamber of
  Industry ISO, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce
  ITO, Turkish Industrialists and Businessmens
  Association TUSIAD, Union of Chambers and
  Commodity Exchanges of Turkey TOBB, Independent
  Industrialists and Businessmens Association
  MUSIAD, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises
  KOBI, and Tradesmens Chambers), industry
  representatives, commercial representatives, and
  representatives of non-governmental
  organizations.

11
Pendik Local Development Project

• The long-term activity areas of the Platform
  have been delineated as follows
• Assessment of the Current Situation in Pendik and
  the Surrounding Area
• Determination of Pendiks Mission, Vision, and
  Principles
• Preparation of the Pendik Strategic Plan
• Training of Target Groups
• Inter-Stakeholder Communication
• Activities for the Promotion of the Strategic
  Plan
• Providing Information to the Public and the
  Media.

12
PLATFORM ORGANIZATION CHART
13
Pendik Local Development Platform

• The Platform has undertaken the below activities
  up to the present
• Assembly Meetings
• Executive Board Meetings
• Sub-Committee Meetings
• Human Resources Development Committee
• Entrepreneurship Committee
• Foreign Affairs Committee

14
Strategic Planning in Pendik
15
Educational Activities

• Training on Effective Job Interviews and CV
  Writing
• EU and Local Governments Informative Seminars
• 1 Local Governments and Local Development in
  the European Union Process
• 2 The EU Project Format in Municipal
  Applications
• Improving Exports Program
• Entrepreneurship Seminars

16
Joint Organizations

• Symposium on The Role of Municipalities in Local
  Development, 2004
• a one-day international symposium was organized
  and the discussions that followed were gathered
  in a publication (See Pendik Municipality
  Cultural Publications, 21).
• High level of Turkish participants attended the
  symposium, and faculty members from Spain, Italy,
  Britain and France shared with the audience
  examples of local governance, as well as their
  knowledge and experience on the issue.