Speaker
Description
In contemporary settings characterized by rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, and limited access to natural resources and food, numerous countries face many challenges. A salient issue in Turkey is the sustainability of urban governance, which impedes resilience. The nascent implementation of participatory processes and democratic active participation and the discordance between top-down policies and grassroots movements evidence this. In this context, it is imperative to adopt a holistic approach to the design and planning of urban environments, taking into account their impact on health and the environment. The question that arises is how to genetically and internally shape cities according to different approaches in terms of emerging needs and methodologies. This article proposes the implementation of transdisciplinary approaches (TR) as a means to enhance urban resilience, thereby offering a novel and effective strategy for addressing the limitations of conventional, single-dimensional approaches to resilience and human-centric methodologies.
Despite the long-standing predominance of top-down strategies in Turkish urban planning, recent shifts towards participatory practices and project-based policies aim to engage citizens in decision-making processes. However, the efficacy of these participatory models in enhancing resilience remains a subject of concern. While tactical urbanism is gaining traction in Turkey, the necessity for transdisciplinary approaches underscores the limitations of such models. To mitigate the impact and scope of top-down planning studies carried out by local governments in Turkey, it is essential to utilize the insights obtained from this knowledge base and instead transform these activities into a dynamic and participatory process. The transfer of this concept to the design-thinking process related to architecture and the city can be associated with the active role-sharing of different experts with a transdisciplinary approach that allows for the development of diverse perspectives from the perspective of individuals and, on occasion, the ability to empathize with others. This approach ensures that the potential of fragile phenomena is revealed and addressed with a creative perspective.
Therefore, this article discusses the role of participatory processes in creating resilient cities and how to strengthen transdisciplinary and bottom-up approaches to urban participation in the Turkish urban context (Özdamar and Önay, 2024) through a theoretical lens. It is vital to recognize the potential of TR collaboration and TDR to facilitate the management of uncertainties, adaptation to various forms of resilience, and development amidst emerging challenges, thereby enhancing urban resilience. In addressing the emerging issues of urban sustainability and resilience, it is essential that architects, planners, and researchers receive training and experience in knowledge transfer and that design research is recognized as a legitimate method of knowledge generation (Després et al., 2011). In this way, planners can play an important role in this transformation by creating awareness among local governments and citizens, thereby influencing the outcome of these activities. Individuals and governments in Turkey who are aware of this fact can work strategically to eliminate and dismantle this centralization over time. When implementing both bottom-up and TR approaches simultaneously, it is critical to strike a balance between competing priorities and interests among stakeholders. Empowering local communities, encouraging collaboration, and engaging diverse perspectives can address complex issues and produce more inclusive and effective solutions. Achieving this requires fostering stakeholder collaboration, engaging local knowledge and expertise, and promoting sustainable lifestyles through community education initiatives. This comprehensive approach facilitates the formulation of strategies that address complex urban challenges and promote long-term urban resilience and sustainability.
References
Özdamar, Esen Gökçe, and Önay, Ertuğ (2024) An overview of transdisciplinary and bottom-up approach for urban resilience: The case of Turkey Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, 9(3), pp. 1-16. doi: 10.21625/essd.v9i3.1093.
Després, C., Vachon, G., and Fortin, A. (2011) Implementing transdisciplinarity: Architecture and urban planning at work. In Doucet, I., & Jassens, N. (eds.) Transdisciplinary knowledge production in architecture and urbanism towards hybrid modes of inquiry (pp. 33-49). Urban and Landscape Perspectives 98. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 33-49. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-0104-5_3.
| Keywords | Urban governance; climate change; resilience; trandisciplinary approaches, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
