9th Conference on Urban Studies | Resilient Cities & Communities
Tarih: Date
The 9th Conference on Urban Studies with the theme “Resilient Cities & Communities” was held in Ankara from November 20-22, 2024.
The Conference was organized as an important component of the Resilient Cities and Communities project of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ). It aimed to provide a broader perspective on resilience in the context of multiple crises. Over three days, various panels and expert discussions were held on climate change, economic and social resilience, urban planning, policy, disaster awareness, infrastructure, and technology.
On November 21, 2024, the special session titled “Resilient Cities and Communities” was chaired by Prof. Dr. Orhan TATAR, Director General of Earthquake and Risk Reduction at AFAD. The panel featured distinguished speakers, including Esra İnce, Branch Manager of the Climate Change Department at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change; Ahmet Avşar Şimşek, Head of Spatial Planning at İLBANK A.Ş.; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serkan Yorgancılar, Head of Youth and Sports Services at Ankara Metropolitan Municipality; İbrahim Acar from SAMPAŞ; and Dr. Ceren Gamze Yaşar from TED University Department of City and Regional Planning, the general coordinating institution of the AFETTEK Platform.
In her presentation, Dr. Yaşar outlined the vision and mission of the AFETTEK Platform, emphasizing its role as a new sectoral structure focused on products, services, data, and information in disaster technologies. She described the platform as a voluntary initiative aiming to build a collaborative network for enhancing disaster resilience. Additionally, she presented key principles and priorities from the perspective of urban and regional planning, highlighting the critical needs and starting points for risk reduction in Türkiye.
