Healthy cities and municipal administrations in Türkiye: the case of Denizli Metropolitan Municipality

The concept of a Healthy City has begun to gain more attention, both nationally and internationally. In this context, Healthy City initiatives have also gained momentum in Türkiye. This study examines the Healthy City practices of the Denizli Metropolitan Municipality (MM), which stands out for its awards, planned projects, and practices within the scope of Healthy City initiatives in Türkiye. A questionnaire was applied in the city of Denizli to investigate the effect of citizens’ knowledge of the Healthy City concept on their awareness of Healthy City practices of Denizli MM and other municipalities in Türkiye, on citizens’ thoughts on the success factors of Healthy City practices of metropolitan municipalities, the service areas of Denizli MM that should be prioritized in Healthy City practices, and the institutions that should be effective in the management of Denizli Healthy City. The findings revealed that knowledge of the Healthy City concept affects citizens’ awareness of Healthy City initiatives, their opinions on success factors, the Denizli MM services that should be prioritized, and the institutions that should be effective in managing Denizli Healthy City.