Climate-Resilient Cities
Cities are the primary spaces where the impacts of climate change are most intensely experienced, while also serving as social arenas in which capacities for adaptation, transformation, and resilience can be concretely produced. Risks such as floods, droughts, wildfires, heatwaves, and infrastructure vulnerabilities affect social groups in urban settings in unequal ways, thereby deepening spatial injustices and social vulnerabilities.
The Conferences of the Parties (COP), organized under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), constitute the highest-level international platforms where global targets for combating climate change are set, national commitments are negotiated, and policy orientations are shaped. The COP processes clearly demonstrate that the climate crisis is not merely an environmental issue; rather, it is a multidimensional phenomenon directly linked to cities, inequalities, governance structures, and social vulnerabilities.
The fact that COP31 will be held in Antalya in 2026 necessitates addressing climate change discussions at the global scale as well as within local and urban contexts. In this regard, the 11th Urban Studies Congress is designed as an academic knowledge production platform that brings together academic knowledge production, policy debates, and urban experiences prior to COP31.
The congress aims to address the theme of climate-resilient cities along the axes of disaster risks, social inequalities, spatial justice, and local governance. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, it seeks to create space for both theoretical discussions and practice-oriented experiences.
In the processes of climate change mitigation and adaptation, the industrial sector assumes a critical role both as a generator of risks and as one of the principal agents driving transformation. In this context, the spatial, economic, and governance relations between cities and industry require reconsideration, making it necessary to address low-carbon production, circular economy practices, and green transition processes in an integrated manner within urban policies.
At the same time, local governments occupy a central position in the formulation and implementation of climate policies, as well as raising public awareness. Climate action plans developed at the urban scale, multi-level governance mechanisms, and collaborations among local actors play a decisive role in the construction of resilient and sustainable cities. In this regard, the effectiveness of climate policies will be discussed with reference to the institutional capacities of local governments, participatory governance processes, data-driven decision-making mechanisms, and the dynamics of central–local relations.
Purpose of the Congress
- The primary objective of the 11th Urban Studies Congress is to analyze the multi-layered impacts of climate change on urban spaces and to discuss academic, administrative, and societal strategies aimed at enhancing cities’ capacities for adaptation and resilience. The Congress aims to provide scientifically grounded contributions to climate change discussions and to establish a strong academic foundation with a focus on cities.
Invited Speakers and Participation
The congress will be organized as a hybrid event, bringing together both in-person and online participation. It will feature distinguished invited speakers from Türkiye and abroad who specialize in the fields of climate change, urban studies, urban planning, environmental policy, and disaster sociology.
In addition, a high-quality academic program will be established through peer-reviewed paper presentations organized around the defined main and sub-themes, with opportunities for both on-site and virtual participation.
Conference Themes
MAIN THEMES
1.İklim Değişikliği, Kentsel Kırılganlıklar ve Toplumsal Eşitsizlikler
- Disaster risks, inequalities, and spatial justice
- Social impacts of climate change
- Urban poverty and the distribution of environmental risks
2.Dirençli Kentler ve Kentsel Politikalar
- Resilient city approaches and their critiques
- Disaster management, urban planning and water governance
- Adaptation policies and urban strategies
3.Yönetişim, Katılım ve Yerel Yönetimler
- Multi-level governance and climate policies
- Local governments and climate adaptation strategies
- Participatory planning and the role of local actors
- Interaction between academia, policy, and local governments
4.Kent–Sanayi İlişkileri, Enerji ve Mobilite
- Industrialization and urban environmental impacts
- Energy transition, mobility systems, and sustainable infrastructure
- Industrial zones, urban economies, and climate risks
5.Sanayi, Yeşil Dönüşüm ve Döngüsel Ekonomi
- Green transition policies and industrial transformation
- Low-carbon production and energy transition
- Circular economy and sustainable industrial systems
6.Doğa, Kentsel Ekosistemler ve İklim Adaleti
- Nature-based solutions and urban ecosystems
- Biodiversity, green infrastructure, and ecological resilience
- Climate justice and inclusive urban futures
SUB-THEMES
- Climate crisis and disaster risk
- Urban inequalities and vulnerable groups
- Spatial justice and the right to the city
- Resilience and sustainability policies
- Kent–sanayi ilişkileri
- Yeşil dönüşüm ve sanayi politikaları
- Düşük karbon ekonomisi ve enerji dönüşümü
- Döngüsel ekonomi ve sürdürülebilir üretim
- Gıda sistemleri ve kentsel sürdürülebilirlik
- İklim finansmanı ve teknolojik dönüşüm
Expected Contribution
- The 11th Urban Studies Congress aims to make academic knowledge production in the field of cities and climate change visible in the period preceding COP31, to establish an interdisciplinary platform for discussion, and to share Türkiye’s intellectual accumulation in this field at both national and international levels. It is expected that the outputs of the congress will contribute to academic publications and policy debates.