Route 33

Coastal and Recreational Redevelopment Project Between Tevfik Sirri Gur Stadium and Camlibel Port

A New Urban Vision for Mersin’s Waterfront

This conceptual urban design project reimagines the coastline between Tevfik Sirri Gur Stadium and Camlibel Port in Mersin, Turkiye. Developed as a large-scale urban regeneration proposal, the project introduces a coastal experience axis that integrates the city with its waterfront, reconnecting residents to the sea through a series of layered public spaces, landscape strategies, and multifunctional infrastructure.

The design addresses a longstanding urban challenge: the disconnection between the densely populated inner city and the Mediterranean shoreline. By introducing a lightweight pedestrian and bicycle axis, the proposal creates an uninterrupted route that crosses over traffic, ensures accessibility for all users, and links major public nodes along the coast. This new spine does not remain confined to the project boundaries; instead, it is designed to be replicated and expanded citywide as a sustainable urban mobility solution.

Transforming the Stadium into a Civic Landmark

At the heart of the project lies the Tevfik Sirri Gur Stadium, a symbolic structure embedded in the city’s collective memory. Rather than demolishing the building, the design preserves and reinterprets it as an open-air, multi-purpose civic space. Its interior is transformed into a green basin: a sunken urban forest that serves as a setting for cultural events, recreational activities, and community gatherings.

The coastal route intersects the stadium at two points, allowing visitors to flow through the structure and reinforcing its role as a connective hub. Surrounding the stadium, a newly designed plaza incorporates commercial spaces, food and beverage outlets, and social amenities, turning this once-isolated structure into a vibrant public node.

Key Nodes and Functional Zones Along the Route

The route links a series of urban and ecological zones, including:

• Public beaches and water access points that enhance the city’s relationship with the sea
• A reforested camping and recreation zone in the former military site within the 2nd-degree natural protection area
• A flexible market plaza for temporary uses such as fairs, community events, and open-air exhibitions
• The Camlibel Neighborhood, redesigned with pedestrianized streets and open parking to restore its lost identity as a vibrant shopping district
• The Camlibel Port, which is redeveloped with green amphitheaters, public squares, and four new structures: two serving as café-restaurants, and two as facilities for water sports training and community workshops
• A pedestrian bridge over the sea, connecting the port to the coastal park and allowing seamless circulation
• An underground car park beneath Cumhuriyet Square, with a pedestrian underpass leading into the heart of the shoreline park

The route also integrates public green spaces and facilities that support spontaneous and organized urban activities, promoting active, inclusive, and accessible waterfront life.

A Resilient Landscape Strategy Rooted in Ecology

The landscape design focuses on creating a continuous urban forest, particularly around the stadium and along the shoreline. The planting palette consists of climate-adaptive, low-water-consuming species native to the Mediterranean region, including Tamarix tetrandra, Ceratonia siliqua, Olea europaea, Ficus nitida, Ficus elastica, Phoenix theophrasti and Phoenix canariensis.

This vegetative layer serves as a biological corridor, enhancing biodiversity, offering microclimatic comfort, and fostering sustainable recreational use. It also functions as a critical buffer against the urban heat island effect, reinforcing ecological resilience.

A Sustainable and Inclusive Urban Future

The project is a model of low-impact urban design, combining architectural sensitivity with ecological foresight. It creates a dynamic and inclusive public realm, where mobility, memory, nature, and community converge.

By emphasizing walkability, connectivity, green infrastructure, and adaptive reuse, the proposal aligns with global sustainable development goals and repositions Mersin’s coastal area as a contemporary, people-centered, and environmentally integrated public space.