Welcome to Istanbul!

Istanbul is a historic and rapidly transforming megacity facing complex urban challenges shaped by climate change, migration, demographic diversity, and seismic risk. As part of the UNIC Centre for City Futures, Istanbul is advancing ambitious programmes on climate resilience, child-and-age-friendly urban development, community well-being, and diversity-sensitive governance. Our work brings together city officials, researchers, students, and communities to co-create innovative and inclusive solutions for a sustainable metropolitan future.

Istanbul and UNIC's Centre for City Futures


Our Istanbul team leverages the power of collaboration locally and across the alliance network for best impact in our City.   We welcome new city and research collaborations in these areas and invite you to connect with us to explore possibilities for developing partnership initiatives.


We welcome new collaborations with city partners, researchers, community organisations, and international networks to co-develop innovative solutions for Istanbul’s future



City-Led Challenges that are currently in focus in Istanbul are:

Climate Resilience & Sustainable Urban Transition:
Climate action is at the centre of Istanbul’s urban agenda. The city is implementing the Istanbul Climate Change Action Plan, the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) with 67 actions, and the Istanbul Green City Action Plan, which outlines 52 policy and investment priorities. As part of the EU Mission “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030,” Istanbul is advancing its Climate City Contract, for which it has been awarded the EU Mission Label—a milestone that underscores the city’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality and climate resilience by 2050. We welcome partnerships particularly in community-based climate monitoring, circular economy practices, and youth engagement in climate policy.

Diversity City Connections:
As a superdiverse global metropolis, Istanbul offers a unique context for understanding migration, mobility, and intercultural living. Our work explores diversity-sensitive urban governance, inclusive service delivery, and the experiences of migrant and refugee youth, alongside the design of intercultural public spaces and participatory decision-making processes. Istanbul collaborates closely with UNIC partners such as Rotterdam, Lodz, and Malmö on these themes. We welcome partnerships particularly in intercultural urbanism, migrant youth engagement, and innovative diversity governance models.

Urban Resilience & Disaster Preparedness (Earthquake):
Earthquake resilience is one of Istanbul’s most urgent priorities. Our engagement includes developing governance models for seismic risk management, strengthening public awareness and preparedness, and designing resilient public spaces. We also run scenario-based planning exercises and interdisciplinary CityLabs, integrating seismic, climate, and infrastructure resilience into shared research agendas. We welcome partnerships particularly in risk governance, community preparedness, and interdisciplinary resilience planning.

Social Inclusion & Community Well-Being:
Addressing inequality is central to Istanbul’s urban transformation. Our initiatives prioritise support for vulnerable communities both during crises and in everyday urban life, while advancing equity and accessibility in public service delivery. We also develop integrated well-being frameworks that connect resilience, children’s rights, and neighbourhood-level quality of life. We welcome partnerships particularly in community well-being assessment, inclusive service innovation, and participatory approaches to social equity.

City for All Ages:
Istanbul is committed to creating inclusive, accessible, and safe public spaces for children, young and older adults. This work involves close co-creation with municipal units on mobility, playground safety, green areas, and accessibility, while drawing on shared learning within the UNIC network around child and older adult participation in urban planning. Through workshops, design studios, and CityLabs, children, youth, older people and university students actively contribute to shaping their city. We welcome partnerships particularly in expanding participatory planning, inclusive public space design, and youth engagement methodologies.

CityLabs - Connect and Co-Create


  Our CityLabs serve as experimental spaces where students, researchers, city officials, and civil society actors collaborate to design solutions for Istanbul’s urban challenges. We apply a co-creation model tailored to the city’s needs. Some of our planned initiatives include:

Climate Resilience & Sustainable Urban Transition

Science Communication for Public Awareness on Climate: A key priority is the transformation of scientific knowledge, such as greenhouse gas inventories, energy use patterns, and climate risk data, into accessible, interactive and participatory content. Our aim is to increase public awareness and build community ownership over urban sustainability goals.

Green Mapping with Youth: Participatory workshops involving high school and university students to map underused green areas and contribute to the city's Green Action Plan development.

Citizen Energy Transition Toolkit: Practical guidelines and digital tools for households and SMEs to reduce energy use and adopt climate-friendly practices.

Climate Data Storytelling Platform: Turning municipal climate datasets into interactive stories for public understanding and engagement.

Diversity City Connections

Migrant Youth Leadership: Workshops where migrant and refugee youth co-design ideas for inclusion, education, mobility, and cultural participation.
Intercultural Public Space Pilots: Designing and testing small-scale public spaces where different communities interact, supported by behavioural insights and participatory design.

Urban Resilience & Disaster Preparedness (Earthquake)

Community Earthquake Preparedness: Hands-on workshops with neighbourhood groups on emergency planning, safe meeting points, and household resilience kits.

Social Inclusion & Community Well-Being

Neighbourhood Well-Being: A co-created tool measuring safety, accessibility, green space, social cohesion, and resilience across diverse districts.

Inclusive Public Services: Collaborative redesign of selected municipal services to enhance accessibility for seniors, migrants, women, and youth.

Community Mental Health & Resilience:Workshops and peer-support networks, particularly for young people and vulnerable groups

Age and Child-Friendly Cities

Participatory Urban Mapping: Children, older adults and youth identify barriers and opportunities in mobility, green areas, and safe routes to school, hospitals, parks, feeding directly into urban planning.

Design Studios with Children: Collaborative design of playgrounds, small parks, and waterfronts where children act as co-designers alongside planners and architects.  

Contact Us

The Istanbul Centre for City Futures is led by:

Dr. Birce Altıok, Local Director (bialtiok@ku.edu.tr)
Dr. Ceren Kulkul, Co-Creation Specialist (ckulkul@ku.edu.tr)
Dr. Pelin Kılınçarslan, Co-Creation Specialist (pekilincarslan@ku.edu.tr)
Dr. Sernaz Arslan, Co-Creation Specialist (searslan@ku.edu.tr)

Please contact us to explore partnership opportunities.
 



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