Super Citizens: the Power of Social Innovation in İzmir/Turkey

Abstract

This study aims to define the characteristics of social innovators, measure the impact of social innovation, and investigate its effects on urban transformation in İzmir. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with 14 social innovators and conducted by adopting a conceptual framework. We identify the characteristics of ‘super citizens’ in the literature that can contribute to SI’s empowerment in cities. The first finding shows that these individuals are expected to have 8 characteristics: being an activist, a social entrepreneur, a mediator, having a wide network, organizing goal-oriented works, involving all actors in the process, producing new solutions focused on the subject and finally being able to keep up with the change. The second finding shows that they are the most important actors in sustaining urban development, and their projects have impacts on urban transformation from a city level to an international level. If the interaction mechanism between relevant actors is provided by the local government through the Penta-helix model, super citizens may become one of the primary stakeholders to promote SI and create a more sustainable urban development. © 2024 The European Association for the Advancement of the Social Sciences.