{"id":28241,"date":"2025-09-17T15:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.khas.edu.tr\/?page_id=28241"},"modified":"2025-11-07T14:49:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T11:49:06","slug":"promote-sustainable-commuting","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.khas.edu.tr\/en\/promote-sustainable-commuting\/","title":{"rendered":"Promote Sustainable Commuting"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Kadir Has University underscores its commitment to sustainability by ensuring free public access to the green spaces and open areas across its campuses. These spaces provide a peaceful environment that encourages community interaction, recreation, and outdoor learning. The campus gardens are carefully maintained to promote biodiversity and serve as living laboratories for environmental awareness, aligning with the University\u2019s mission to integrate nature into academic, cultural, and social life.<\/p>

Through this open-campus approach, KHAS invites both students and the wider public to experience its green environment and sustainable campus culture, fostering a shared sense of environmental responsibility and community engagement.<\/p>

SUSTAINABLE CAMPUSES – PUBLIC ACCESS TO CAMPUSES\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Kadir Has University (KHAS), founded in 1997 in Istanbul, is dedicated to sustainability in education and aims to become a leader in both educational and cultural fields in Turkey. With its five faculties (Art and Design, Communication, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Engineering and Natural Sciences, Law), KHAS also aspires to contribute to the global sustainable development goals through its academic programs and research activities.<\/p>

The Cibali campus of Kadir Has University, located in Istanbul’s Fatih district on the shore of the Golden Horn, is designed with a green approach, ensuring easy access from every point in the city. The historic Tekel Cibali Factory building, originally used as a tobacco warehouse and cigarette factory, has been transformed into a sustainable university campus that aligns with clean energy standards and environmentally friendly principles.<\/p>

Today, the rectorate, faculties, institutes, and research centers operate in this campus, located in a historically significant area of Istanbul, maintaining an impressive architectural heritage while supporting sustainability in design. The campus has been recognized with the prestigious European architecture award, the \u201cEuropa Nostra Award,\u201d for its commitment to preserving cultural heritage and promoting sustainable development.<\/p>

The campus spans an indoor usage area of 50,000 square meters and includes various facilities like classrooms, laboratories, an information center (library), a theatre, conference and movie theaters, sports facilities, restaurants, cafeterias, and a dance studio. These facilities aim to foster a green culture, supporting clean energy practices and sustainable resource use.<\/p>

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Cibali Campus: a hub where culture, education, and scientific research meet<\/strong><\/p>

Behind ancient Byzantine walls stands the oldest part of Istanbul. These ramparts distinguish and define Cibali, the neighborhood where Kadir Has University\u2019s main campus is situated. It is only a few meters away from the Hali\u00e7, the harbor inlet known to English speakers as \u201cthe Golden Horn\u201d since Ottoman times. Cibali takes its name from the time of the conquest of Istanbul when, according to common belief, a soldier from Bursa named Cebe Ali Bey entered the city by breaking through the rampart doors. Since that time, this entryway into the city has been called Ali Bey, and the neighborhood, Cibali.Located nearby, in the present neighborhood of Unkapani, was the Zeugma, a port that opened into the city\u2019s economic center during the Ottoman era and continued to be used until the 19th century. Activity around the Zeugma brought liveliness to the surrounding area, but Cibali also benefited from this hustle and bustle: Ottoman warehouses and caulkers along the Hali\u00e7 shore of Cibali gave witness to the flourishing businesses in that part of the area. In earlier times, Cibali\u2019s harbor called the Puteae, or Porto del Pozzo was lined with warehouses bursting with goods destined for the consumers of Istanbul. The passageways through the Cibali gates were instrumental in getting these goods from the port and into the city.\u00a0 After the conquest, the Cibali area started to develop. Cibali became a favorite of sea captains, and famous seafarers like Murad Reis, Mustafa Pasa, and Kemal Reis had mansions in the neighborhood. Two factors link Cibali with Istanbul\u2019s identity: fire and tobacco. As Cibali was a trade center and there were many caulkers using flammable materials in the construction of ships, there were many fires. If there were northeast winds, these fires, both outside and inside the Hali\u00e7 walls, represented a clear danger, especially because the city at that time was composed of so many wooden houses. During this time, many of the larger conflagrations were called \u201cCibali fires.\u201d The Cibali Tobacco Factory, founded in 1884, was an important institution that changed the neighborhood socially and economically.<\/p>

Around the turn of the century, its large factory building housed tobacco processing and cigarette production. There were several reasons for locating such a large factory in this small neighborhood. At that time, tobacco customs were collected in that area, and many people who supplied the factory\u2019s manpower lived nearby. Indeed, if we look at the many photographs taken during the 1900s that document the life of the factory, the picture is quite remarkable. There were 1500 women and 662 men (a total of 2162 people) working there. The Tekel Cibali Cigarette Factory was, in fact, a small town complete with local police and civil servants, hospitals, a daycare center, grocery stores, schools, a fire department, sports facilities, trade unions, and restaurants. On March 1, 1925, after forty years of French administration and with the establishment of the republic, the control of the factory passed to the state. For many years the factory processed, stored, and sold tobacco. Then in 1995, the factory, most of which had been shut down, was abandoned. In 1997, the Finance Ministry handed the buildings to Kadir Has University. Dr. Mehmet Alper was appointed architect in charge of restoring and renovating the factory buildings into a university campus. In March 1998, the work began. Working together with university planners, the architects in charge of the restoration have taken great care to preserve the original character and architectural integrity of the buildings while at the same time enhancing the space to suit the university\u2019s needs. Between 1998 and 2002, the Tekel Cibali Cigarette Factory was transformed, by the Kadir Has Foundation, from a warehouse that produced and sold tobacco into an institution of higher learning. After four years of restoration work, Kadir Has University Cibali campus officially opened its doors on February 13, 2002.<\/p>

Kadir Has University’s transformation from a tobacco factory into a hub for sustainable education exemplifies how historical urban centers can support sustainable development goals. The university’s commitment to these goals is reflected in its ongoing projects, focusing on clean energy, green architecture, and environmental education. By fostering a green campus culture, KHAS aims to reduce its carbon footprint and promote a sustainable mindset among students and staff.<\/p>

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Selimpa\u015fa Campus: A Green Initiative for Technological Development<\/strong><\/p>

Kadir Has University’s Selimpa\u015fa Campus was opened in 1998 and initially served vocational schools and some undergraduate programs. In line with sustainable development goals, efforts began in 2023 to transform the Selimpa\u015fa Campus into a technopark in collaboration with Silivri Municipality, focusing on green and sustainable technologies.<\/p>

Selimpa\u015fa Campus of Kadir Has University, which covers an area of 100,000 m2<\/sup>\u00a0on the seafront in Silivri Selimpa\u015fa, has been declared a Technological Development Zone. As the only active technopark within 100 kilometers between Avc\u0131lar and \u00c7orlu, it prioritizes sustainable projects, particularly those focusing on clean energy and green transformation. The campus aims to become a center for sustainable innovation by supporting research in areas like clean energy solutions, advanced materials, and environmentally friendly technology applications.<\/p>

10 Focus Areas for Sustainable Development at Technopark Selimpa\u015fa Campus:<\/strong><\/p>