Istanbul Tackles Tourist Crowds and Climate Issues Together

The Caferağa neighborhood in Istanbul is implementing a comprehensive urban redesign to combat overcrowding from 2.3 million daily district visitors and mitigate climate risks. Through a partnership with WRI Türkiye, the area is piloting Low Emission Zones and proposing five key interventions: expanding pedestrian and bike infrastructure (targeting 58 km of lanes by 2050), launching the ModaBüs shuttle in 2025, managing parking sustainably, and transitioning 30% of deliveries to electric or active transport to save 425 kg of CO2 weekly.

• The Caferağa neighborhood in Istanbul faces significant urban challenges due to its peninsula shape, which funnels traffic through two main entry points, and a high population of older residents (twice the national average per capita). These factors, combined with over 2.3 million daily visitors to the wider district, have led to overcrowded sidewalks, gridlocked streets, and increased vulnerability to extreme heat and air pollution.
• As part of Istanbul's Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and Street Transformation Program, Caferağa has been designated as one of three pilot Low Emission Zones. To address sustainability and mobility, the Kadıköy district aims for a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and full climate neutrality by 2050.
• A collaborative effort involving residents, the local government, and WRI Türkiye's Deep Dive Cities team has resulted in five core recommendations for the neighborhood: prioritizing pedestrian space (including wider sidewalks and shade trees), expanding bike and scooter infrastructure (increasing bike lanes from 18 km to 58 km by 2050), launching a local shuttle service called ModaBüs in late 2025, implementing sustainable parking management, and optimizing local deliveries.
• The neighborhood is targeting the environmental impact of its logistics sector, where over 600 motorized delivery vehicles operate daily. WRI estimates that shifting 30% of these deliveries to electric or active transport could reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 425 kg per week, which is roughly equivalent to removing 1,000 miles of gas-powered car travel. A cargo bike delivery pilot is scheduled for late 2025.

APA

World Resources Institute (2025). Istanbul Tackles Tourist Crowds and Climate Issues Together. https://www.wri.org/insights/istanbul-tackles-overcrowding-climate-issues

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Istanbul Tackles Tourist Crowds and Climate Issues Together. 2025. https://www.wri.org/insights/istanbul-tackles-overcrowding-climate-issues.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Istanbul Tackles Tourist Crowds and Climate Issues Together |date=2 July 2025 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/istanbul-tackles-overcrowding-climate-issues |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2025istanbul, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Istanbul Tackles Tourist Crowds and Climate Issues Together}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/istanbul-tackles-overcrowding-climate-issues}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }