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Anniversary for the 150 years since the establishment of the Izmir MunicipalityLOCAL GOVERNMENT, DEMOCRACY AND IZMIR&#160;The Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, at the mark of the 150th year since the establishment of municipal  services  in  Izmir,  aims  to  shed  light  on  the  history  of  the  city’s  administration,   while at the same time contributing to the shaping of its future. The symposium organized by the Izmir Mediterranean Academy intends to focus on the transformations experienced by Izmir as a part of the economic and social changes as well as political struggles in Turkey and the world at large that have been influenced and shaped by the unique local dynamics within a Mediterranean context during the past 150 years. This symposium presents an opportunity to examine Izmir together with other Mediterranean, cities such as Barcelona, Beirut, Alexandria, Marseille and Thessaloniki, from the perspective of local government. After the organisation of the Sixth Municipal District in Istanbul modeled on the Municipality of Paris, , in Izmir too the urban social fabric brought fourth the demand for the formation of a municipality. This very social fabric, apart from playing a vital role in the rise of the municipality itself, was instrumental in the historical metamorphosis of city politics both through its historical transformation and through its participation into the local government mechanisms. At the same time, the strong correlation between the expansion of public services and the full flourishing of local government system was developed through its mutual interaction with democratic dynamics. The development of a democratic urban lifestyle contributed to the strengthening of a culture of coexistence. The symposium, while not ignoring these important parameters, wishes to discuss the historical transformation of the Izmir Municipality within the context of the following three general headlines: 1. Urban Planning Urban planning processes, development plans, transportation planning, conservation planning with regards to the sector of culture, urban design, transformation of the relationship between the urban and the rural, immigration, slumification, development and transformation of neighborhoods, urban growth and transition processes. 2. Local Administration Policies and Services Municipal Socialism and municipal enterprenurialism, environment, nationalisation and privatization, agricultural development, arts and culture, transportation and infrastructure, health, urban security, digitalisation and smart city, social services. 3. Local Politics and Democracy Transformation of local political processes, relations between central and local government, conflict of competence, judicial/administrative disputes, municipality-capital relations, municipality-labor relations, subsidiarity, municipal councils, local elections, local opposition, democracy and participation.