HATAY METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY

Their core work

Hatay Metropolitan Municipality is the elected local government authority for Antakya and the Hatay province in southern Turkey, responsible for urban planning, public services, and community development for a population of over one million. In EU research contexts, they serve as a real-world urban testbed and municipal implementation partner, providing access to a diverse, cross-cultural urban population and the institutional authority to pilot city-level interventions. Their H2020 participation covers two distinct themes: engaging youth in civic environmental participation, and contributing a Turkish Mediterranean city's perspective to Sino-European smart city and urban food security research. As a public body, they bring the practical dimension of translating research into municipal policy and community practice.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their first project (STEP, 2015-2017) focused narrowly on youth civic participation and environmental awareness — a common entry point for municipalities into EU research. By 2018 they had shifted to a substantially broader agenda in SiEUGreen, encompassing smart city infrastructure, EU-China cooperation, food security, urban design, and social innovation simultaneously. The trajectory points from soft civic education toward integrated urban sustainability governance, with food systems and resilience emerging as specific municipal competencies.

The municipality is moving toward complex multi-theme urban sustainability projects, making them a relevant partner for consortia that need a mid-sized Turkish city as a pilot or case-study site — particularly where EU-China or EU-MENA dimensions add geographic value.

How they like to work

Hatay Metropolitan Municipality has participated exclusively as a consortium partner across both projects, never taking a coordinator role. Both projects involved large international consortia (SiEUGreen alone had many partners across European and Chinese cities), suggesting they are comfortable contributing as one node among many rather than driving project leadership. For a potential partner, this means they are likely accessible and flexible to join, but should not be expected to manage project administration or take on lead responsibilities.

They have worked with 31 unique consortium partners across 14 countries — unusually broad for only two projects, reflecting participation in large-scale international consortia. Their network spans Europe and extends to China via the SiEUGreen project, giving them cross-continental research connections rare among Turkish municipalities.

What sets them apart

Hatay is geographically and culturally distinct — a southern Turkish province bordering Syria, historically one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse regions in the Middle East, which gives the municipality a rare perspective on urban inclusion and resilience under real social stress. For consortia requiring a non-Western-European urban case study with EU institutional ties, this municipality offers a meaningful boundary condition that Northern or Central European city partners cannot replicate. Their EU-China collaboration experience also makes them a credible bridge partner for projects with Asian or Global South dimensions.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SiEUGreen
  The largest and most complex of their projects (EUR 357,965), spanning 2018-2022 with EU-China scope across smart cities, food security, urban design, and social innovation — rare breadth for a single municipal participant.
• STEP
  Their entry into H2020 via a youth civic engagement project signals an institutional commitment to participatory approaches before moving to the more technical smart city agenda.