Zeynep Gunay

Zeynep Gunay is an urban planner and associate professor at the Istanbul Technical University, Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Her major area of interest is heritage politics. Through her scholarly works, she questions the vicious relationship between conservation vs reproduction of space with reference to neoliberal urban agenda; and explores heritage with a particular focus on critical narratives based on conflict heritage, memory & heritageisation, and inclusive conservation. She also reflects upon critical perspectives in urban studies ao. politics of urbanisation vs urbanisation of politics, culture arts and urban space, public space everyday life body politics and justice, with a specific interest upon the developing world. Within her academic and professional career in ITU, she serviced as a visiting scholar in various international platforms including Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, TU Darmstadt, Tor Vergata, and Gran Sasso Science Institute. She has several international and national projects including Prizren Municipal Development Plan under the supervision of UN-Habitat and UNESCO/WHC supported Istanbul Historic Peninsula Conservation Project, which was awarded a Medal in Europa Nostra Awards. She is the academic consultant of Istanbul Planning Agency Vision 2050, the member of ICOMOS, and serving in the Board of ISOCARP for two terms as the Director of Young Planning Professionals’ Programme- where she commits to knowledge for better cities with the young generations. Until today, she has collaborated with various municipalities and institutes to lead knowledge workshops in China, Qatar, Indonesia among others. Her research in Trans-making culminates on alternative narratives on heritage, arts and conflict in Morocco, Chile and Bosnia. (BCP/METU, Dipl/IHS, MSc/ITU, MSc/Cardiff Unv, PhD/ITU).