Another Turkish is expected to join the Cittaslow Movement, a global organization working to preserve the cultural diversity and authentic environment of small towns around the world for more than fifteen years.
The next "slow city" in Turkey will be Gerze, a small town in the northern province of Sinop. The district municipality announced initial procedures for the inclusion of Gerze as slow city, meaning a small town where supermarket or mall culture has not fully developed, and which has reduced use of automobiles. Municipal officers said that slow cities, with populations under 50,000, are intended to preserve examples of sustainability and ecological balance.
The inclusion of Gerze as a slow city is expected to improve the tourism potential in the district, attracting more visitors. Gerze Mayor Osman Belovacıklı said in a press conference that the district has not fully benefited from the tourism sector, and this project will help. Other slow cities in Turkey include Seferihisar in İzmir, Aydın Yenipazar in Aydın, Akyaka in Muğla, Gökçeada in Çanakkale, Vize in Kırklareli, Yalvaç in Isparta, Taraklı in Sakarya, Perşembe in Ordu, Halfeti in Şanlıurfa, Uzundere in Erzurum and Şavşat in Artvin. Cittaslow towns aim to be places where people would want to live, work and visit.
