G.A.S.-Der submitted their River Footpath Proposals
to the Akyaka Municipality               

 

The Akyaka Municipality carried the sensitive subject of planning a footpath along the river on to the town's civil platforms with their request for active participation in actual designing the path (document number 1672 from the 25th November 2009). Since our association was very busily working on other issues a prolongation was granted to us and we could finally submit our proposals on the agreed date, the 15th January 2010.

 

During the preparation process we have taken detailed photographs of the riverside and discussed needs and proposals for its use with interested stakeholder groups (fisher people, restaurant-boat-owners, river tour people, hoteliers, restaurant owners and manager, tourism organisers and people living on the river), especially where the planning of the empty space on the river near the bridge was concerned. Our proposals contain all of these ideas and opinions. After the first sketches the draft has been discussed with our board, our principles have been discussed and defined and the plan took its final shape.

 

Since we thought that transferring our proposals and wishes onto master plan copies would not give very clear results, we used a technique, developed by our chairwoman for her consultant work, using photographs and drawings. The table for the space near the bridge shows the explicit wishes of the stakeholders and should be understood as single elements. 

 

The materials we use are all natural, local, reasonable priced and instantly obtainable. Our objective was not only to design a footpath that suits Akyaka but to protect the very few natural parts of the riversides as well. We furthermore designed a "barefoot path" as an asset to human health. These footpaths are made of various undergrounds and offer a "physical adventure" to the barefoot user. If this path is kept clean and will be properly maintained it is an important step towards responsible tourism.  

 

In the moment we can offer our proposals in Turkish only, but most of the tables contain drawings and are self explaining. (See thumbnails at right)