Türkiye - Sustainable Cities Project

Overview & Synopsis

Ratings of Sustainable Cities Project for Türkiye were as follows: outcome was satisfactory, Bank performance was satisfactory, and monitoring and evaluation quality was substantial. Some of the lessons learned include: the SoP approach is a good instrument that enables scalability, enhances project preparedness and creates a strong foundation to expand SCP scope in future projects; Integrating grants into investments lending projects enhances the project outcomes by providing critical resources, and supporting capacity-building activities that municipalities may not otherwise finance; There is a need for the persistent capacity building and ensuring monitoring systems to sustain OHS understanding and approach; Integrating comprehensive training on resource mobilization, and proposal development into future projects is advisable to empower municipalities to sustain robust investment pipelines and independently access financing; Loans/grants and contract currencies should be aligned as much as possible to ensure consistency in FM, enhance predictability of costs and reduce currency fluctuation risks; and Implementing the SCP through ILBANK as a financial intermediary proved to be a transformative and scalable approach that redefined how to efficiently collaborate to address complex municipal urban challenges.