Led by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye to support interested countries and cities through knowledge sharing, capacity building, and structured guidance in the smart cities area.
The program builds on Türkiye’s policy experience and institutional know-how in smart cities and is implemented through phased cooperation.
Applications should be submitted by authorized public institutions or official coordination bodies, including ministries, national coordination units, municipalities, and metropolitan municipalities.
Academic institutions and other stakeholders may be involved in the process where appropriate.
The program is designed as a phased technical cooperation framework focused on guidance, training, and structured collaboration.
It builds on Türkiye’s smart city policy experience and supports participating countries and cities through practical knowledge sharing and institutional cooperation.
The program is led and coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye.
Participation starts with Level 1. Progression to later stages depends on mutual assessment, mutual agreement, and relevant organizational arrangements.
Introductory phase focused on shared understanding and early coordination.
Advanced training and methodological transfer stage
Collaborative stage focused on strategy and action plan framework development
Drawing on Türkiye’s policy experience, institutional know-how, and implementation background in the smart cities area, the International Smart Cities Guidance Program may, where appropriate and subject to mutual assessment and agreement, consider the use of an International Smart Cities Maturity Assessment Model together with an International Smart Cities Index. These complementary instruments are intended to support a more systematic, data-informed, and internationally comparable understanding of cities’ current capacities, development priorities, and areas for further improvement.
The International Smart Cities Maturity Assessment Model is intended to provide a structured framework for assessing cities’ current capabilities in the smart cities area through a multidimensional perspective. It may support a more holistic understanding of institutional capacity, governance arrangements, data infrastructure, service delivery, and implementation readiness, while helping to identify both strengths and areas for further development.
The International Smart Cities Index is intended to complement the maturity assessment approach by contributing to a more comparable and indicator-based framework across cities. It may support the monitoring of progress, the visibility of good practices, and a clearer understanding of development priorities through a common set of evaluation areas and data-informed indicators.
Within the framework of the Program, these instruments may be considered as part of a broader effort to support evidence-based decision-making, structured learning, and international exchange among participating cities. Their possible use would depend on the scope of cooperation, the readiness of the participating side, and mutual agreement between the parties.
Note: This Program provides technical guidance and capacity building. It is not a grant or funding mechanism.
A staged technical cooperation framework focused on knowledge sharing, capacity building, and technical guidance in the smart cities area.
Ministries, official coordination bodies, and authorized public institutions, including municipalities and metropolitan municipalities.
The process begins with the submission of an official application by an authorized public institution or official coordination body.
The application package should include an official letter, application form, focal point notification form, institutional authorization, and a current situation summary.
Following submission, an initial review is conducted to assess the application's alignment with Program objectives and cooperation priorities.
Cooperation begins at Level 1 through online coordination, introductory sessions, and an initial needs analysis. Progression to Level 2 and Level 3 is considered on the basis of mutual assessment, mutual agreement, and relevant organizational arrangements.
Use the official contact point below for coordination, application-related communication, and follow-up correspondence.
Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change
Directorate General of Geographic Information Systems
Smart Cities Department
Digital Habitat Center Division