Association for the Preservation and Promotion of the Izmir City Values / İzmir Kent Değerlerini Koruma ve Geliştirme Derneği

Association for the Preservation and Promotion of the Izmir City Values, or “Our City Izmir Association” in short, was founded on 17.12.2012 with an aim to undertake necessary initiatives to introduce the urban values into society, and to that end, work in cooperation with public and private sectors.

Our association strives to help Izmir earn due recognition and reputation in the process of turning the city into a brand by conserving its historic assets, and to unearth, reclaim and preserve the historical riches in the very heart of the city. In line with this purpose, we make common cause with non-governmental organizations and local administrations to maintain Izmir’s city vision and promote cultural development.

Our objective is to foster public interest, curiosity, awareness and sense of preservation and improvement by promoting our traditional cultural heritage that deepens our perspective on life and the world. We also seek to serve the promotion of tourism through the restoration of historic buildings without compromising their very essence and their conversion into centers of culture and education, as well as encourage opening of numerous city museums– all to ensure that our local culture is conserved and passed down to the future generations. Protection and preservation of historical sites bringing together people with a shared history will be the most meaningful legacy to leave behind to the future generations.

Our association began its journey with the purpose of raising public awareness for safeguarding the traditional values and cultural identities. Our primary goal is to preserve and functionalize our historical values to boost and promote tourism in the city, as well as to protect and improve our cultural heritage.