On November 30, Berrin Benli, cofounder of the Novusens Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute, gave a seminar at Bilkent on the topic of “Smart Cities.” Novusens is said to be the first think tank in Turkey to focus on delivering professional services in order to foster sustainable development.
In her talk, Ms. Benli gave an overview of the benefits and challenges of smart cities in terms of economics, and also provided information on a study conducted by Novusens on smart cities for Turkey. The study results were published in March 2016 as the “Smart Cities Assessment Report for Turkey.” The report, covering areas including transportation, energy and tourism, offered direction and guidance to city leaders and policy makers on transforming their cities into smart cities using technology.
Ms. Benli also provided insight into the “Smart City Transformation Project for Çanakkale” initiative launched in May of this year. During her talk, she emphasized the point that although technology is an important element of smart cities, it should be regarded not as an end in itself but rather as a tool to provide solutions and improve the quality of life for both citizens and visitors.