Istanbul's public gardens, commonly known as "millet bahçeleri" in Turkish, aim to rapidly increase green areas by adding to the metropolis's environmental-oriented policies and offering a splendid escape from urban life in the country's largest city.

Overseeing this monumental project, defined as "the biggest green field step in the history of the republic," the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change aims to achieve a remarkable goal of 100 million square meters of green space by 2028.

In Istanbul, Türkiye's bustling metropolis hosting close to 16 million inhabitants, the amount of green space per capita is significantly increasing with the opening of the 15 public gardens so far.

These public gardens not only offer lush greenery but also provide rehabilitation areas, including children's play zones and enchanting waterfalls.

As per the latest data compiled by Anadolu Agency (AA) on Thursday, two additional gardens are soon to be unveiled, while construction and planning phases are currently underway for another 23 gardens.

Within the scope of the project, several districts on both the Anatolian and European sides had embraced the gardens, including Baruthane Public Garden, Esenler 15 July Public Garden, Küçükçekmece Halkalı Public Garden, Nakkaştepe Public Garden and the Yıldız Technic University Garden. Work continues for the completion of the largest, Atatürk Airport Public Garden, whose first phase was put into service at the beginning of May.

At the same time, public space projects continue in several points, including Beşiktaş, Sultangazi's Cebeci, Güngören, Beyoğlu's Küçükpiyale, Bayrampaşa and Kağıthane on the city's European side, and in Beykoz, Ümraniye, Samandıra, Samandıra's Aydos and Pendik's Burla Brothers Grove on the Anatolian side.

Atatürk Airport Public Garden, whose first phase spans an area of 499,000 square meters (5,371,191 square feet), opened its doors to visitors during the rally of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) preceding the last month's general and presidential elections.

With the completion of the first phase, some 10,000 trees and approximately 41,000 plants have been planted in the garden, as per AA reports.

Other large public gardens include Başakşehir Public Garden, built on an area of 280,000 square meters offering a wide array of facilities.

The garden in Başakşehir is additionally adorned with lavender and camellias, alongside an innovative self-cleaning pond spanning 15,600 square meters.

One of the visitors to Başakşehir Public Garden, Filiz Sönmez decided to spend some time with relatives outdoors and expressed her delight. "It's so nice to have a place where we can get some fresh air with our relatives and neighbors in a city as crowded as Istanbul," she said.

First public garden

Built on the site of Metris Barracks, which served the Turkish military for more than a century, the 15 July Public Garden in the Esenler district carries the distinction of being the country's first city park.

Established on a land of 326,000 square meters, most of which is covered with natural greenery, the garden includes walking and cycling paths, sports activities, picnic areas, children's playgrounds and entertainment areas, social activity areas, open-air reading spaces and a prayer room.

Refika Çevik, who came for the visit to the garden, noted that she was impressed with its natural beauty and that she had a pleasant time with her loved ones.

"(This garden) presents a great advantage for the people of the area. Since there are not many green areas, public gardens are salvation for us. We want such places to increase," another visitor Aygül Selvi said.

One of the 15 gardens, unique for its fascinating Bosporus view, is Nakkaştepe Public Garden, situated close to the July 15 Martyrs Bridge in Üsküdar. It opened to the public in 2019.

With terraces overlooking the sea, the garden, usually packed with locals on the weekend, includes sports and fitness areas and a tennis court. It also offers specially designed activities for children and adults in its indoor and outdoor playgrounds, an adventure track, a nature explorer workshop, a zipline and a grass amphitheater.

Another garden in the Anatolian part of the city, Ümraniye Public Garden is designated as a particular draw for barbeque enthusiasts. Among its numerous amenities are walking and bicycle paths, football, basketball and volleyball courts, 12 children playing areas and a mini golf court.

Within the scope of the recent Environment Week celebration marked in the first week of June, nine new public gardens in the provinces of Adıyaman, Giresun, Düzce, Bursa, Bolu, Afyonkarahisar, Adana, Sivas and Erzincan were unveiled, encompassing an area of nearly 1.5 million square meters of green space.