In a world where speed is of the essence, where ever-increasing flows of individual traffic create havoc around town, where some workplaces declare that taking a break too long is considered cheating, where fast food has become the staple diet of the day so to speak and where students are confronted with an ever-increasing workload – at least our own four walls, our own neighbourhood, our own town should provide us with some sort of peace and quiet, of well-being and ample opportunity for recharging our batteries. Thus said – welcome to the concept behind "Cittaslow," or "Slow Cities."
Yet, that very concept is not about a withdrawal from our modern world, it is not about quitting your job to build a hut in the woods and take up hunting, it is not about an isolated single person or single-family lifestyle, respectively. It is meant as a revival of our local and regional communities under the banner of quality of life, it is aimed at having much more interaction with friends and neighbors alike yet without forsaking the comforts of information technology. It is geared at reconsidering whether that next prefabricated hamburger is the healthy option or whether we should better not frequent our corner restaurant and grocery stores instead where we know produce was locally sourced as well. It is about regional job creation as much as it is about attending the best universities two hours away without forsaking the comfort zone back home to be enjoyed at least every weekend.
Off to Seferihisar and its fine coastal neighborhood of Sığacık. Since 2009, the town has been part of the ever-expanding Slow Cities network – or "Cittaslow" in the Italian language – as this is the country where it all began. In the year 1999, the mayor of a small town in Chianti had decided it is about time not only to bring back the quality of life his town was once famous for but as a matter of fact increase it dramatically. Greve Mayor Paolo Saturnini argued that he is not against new developments but only if they would improve the local quality of life. According to Saturnini and the ensuing nationwide movement, which soon spread across borders: "Man is still protagonist of the slow and healthy succession of seasons, respectful of citizens' health the authenticity of products and good food, rich of fascinating craft traditions of valuable works of art, squares, theaters, shops, cafes, restaurants, places of the spirit and unspoilt landscapes, characterized by the spontaneity of religious rites, respect of traditions through the joy of a slow and quiet living."
In order to become a Slow City seven macro-categories are divided up into 72 subcategories. Those macro requirements consist of stipulations for energy and environmental policies (for example recycling); infrastructure policies (for example cycle paths); quality of urban life policies (for example fibre optics, wireless); agricultural, touristic and artisan policies (for example prohibiting GMOs); policies for hospitality, awareness and training (for example the good welcome approach); social cohesion (for example prohibiting discrimination); and partnerships (for example cooperating with slow food promoters).
With regards to Turkey, it started here in Seferihisar, and over the years 20 further places in Turkey joined the network with currently five more locations in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), adding to the total of 287 Slow Cities in 33 countries altogether, an impressive number considering the short time span since 1999.
But the real success story with regards to the potential benefits of "going slow" can be seen and witnessed in the Sığacık neighbourhood of Seferihisar. It is the fine coastal district of the market town and is famous for its pedestrianized old city area, its very own historical acropolis, as well as its state-of-the-art Teos Marina. Before becoming a "slow city," bed capacity was just above 5,000, now it tops 12,000. The population increased from 30,000 to 52,500 over a period of only 12 years (2009-2021) with Sığacık accounting for just under 3,900 (2021). A destination – if at all – for short weekend breaks has now turned into a tourism hot spot of sorts.
In the words of the technical coordinator of the Cittaslow Network of Turkey, Bülent Köstem, who at the time worked at Seferihisar town hall, the overarching reasoning back in 2009 to become a Slow City was not to stop infrastructure or tourism development but to do it differently when compared with other holiday hot spots in the wider region. The town wanted to do it the proper way by focusing on preserving its rich history, protecting the environment and natural landscape, promoting culture and local crafts, to name only a few considerations. In this context, Köstem coined the phrase "urban identity."
There was most definitely a food aspect inherent in "turning slow" too – already a decade earlier the Slow Food movement had reached Turkey’s shores educating residents about the benefits of locally sourced foodstuffs prepared by local chefs for a local clientele yet with the highest possible quality and taste standards attached.
We then spoke about what Köstem refers to "as the thin red line" between increasing your town’s tourism potential and achieving lasting fame in a positive sense. In other words: Development cannot only be about numbers of additional incoming guests but about sustainable numbers; development must address the issue of how to prevent mass tourism while still allowing the local economy to prosper and tourists to enjoy visiting for a day or fortnights vacation.
Seferihisar did not simply become a magnet for nonresidents. Köstem explained that many of the over 20,000 new arrivals are retired folk from Izmir but much further afield, for example, Istanbul, who would not open a new business themselves but opt for the high "slow" quality of daily life as found in the area.
Needless to say that since 2009 many dozens approaching hundreds of new enterprises opened up, think boutique hotels, trendy or traditional restaurants, yet always with a focus on quality and no hassle, food stalls and souvenir shops and art galleries and so on and so forth.
We concluded that the positive dynamics of being part of Cittaslow hardly required any additional PR campaigns from the side of the town hall – word spread fast and television crews, as well as leading newspapers, flocked to Seferihisar and the rest is history.
It is easy to bump into new found acquaintances hopefully becoming friends one day soon, including a grocery store owner who told me that when the first cinema opened in the late 1960s they showed Cleopatra with Liz Taylor; a small boutique hotel and memorabilia shop owner who played us a disc on an antique gramophone still in perfect order; and an aspiring artist who introduced visitors to her splendid mural and wall paintings and shall soon be opening her very own cafe-plus-gallery, among many other residents.
One of these new acquaintances bodes farewell by telling me, "We are no robots here" referring to the hectic pace of daily life as is the custom everywhere else. He told me, "We still pause in our ways and greet each other, at least in the old part of town."
Cittaslow does not mean men would not wear suits but there is no "inner-city type protocol" that you have to dress up – relaxed clothing makes us realize we are in a place that is meant to be relaxing while never compromising on modern-day comforts.
Seferihisar has a perfect local bus connection to and with nearby Izmir to the northeast and a minibus route connecting it with other coastal towns located southwards. Besides, there are regular departures to and from Ankara and Istanbul, hence getting there is no obstacle at all. It is a positive sign that many of the local day-trippers prefer public transport instead of individual means of traveling. Cars are of course not forbidden in town but if a slow city takes the approach to environmental protection seriously public transport must be encouraged, which is the case around here from 6 a.m. until shortly before midnight. There are countless pensions, boutique hotels and three bigger hotels catering to all tastes and budgets and a huge variety of very good restaurants.
