This program focuses on studies encompassing both theory and practice related to the design and planning processes of urban environments. It provides a broad framework for research in areas such as urban and regional geography, policy and institutional structures, instruments of transformation, the design of the built environment, urban transportation, urban conservation, planning history, as well as environmental impacts and risks.
Urbanization practices in Turkey vary according to the country’s political, economic, and social structures, with each period concentrating on its own planning challenges. Today, the primary problem in urban living environments has moved beyond the quantitative question of growth and the opening of new urban areas. Cities now give rise to new debates around qualitative growth, adaptation to global competitiveness, the use of local dynamics in development, and the management, shaping, and evolution of urban space for sustainable development. Consequently, urban design and urban transformation have become the most effective tools in contemporary urban management.
Urban design lies at the intersection of professional disciplines such as Planning, Architecture, and Landscape Architecture, all of which aim to shape space across different scales, providing form, function, and life. It is a field of study where macro-scale urban planning decisions and policies are materialized directly in urban space and where the design of physical and social environments is experienced and lived at the human (micro) scale.
Urban design seeks not only to ensure compliance with contemporary environmental and quality-of-life standards in the production, renewal, and transformation of urban spaces but also to enrich social life by creating living, identifiable, functional, and sustainable places. For this reason, integrating urban transformation processes with the theory and practice of urban design is essential to achieve socially beneficial outcomes in both the processes themselves and the resulting urban environments.
Urban transformation can be defined as a comprehensive and integrated set of strategies and actions developed to improve the physical, economic, social, and environmental conditions of urban spaces, taking into account existing urban problems and needs. Its objectives include investigating the causes of social decline and developing strategies to prevent urban areas from becoming derelict, addressing changes and demands in the physical environment, introducing models of development that enhance welfare and quality of life in economically stagnant urban spaces, ensuring the efficient use of urban land, preventing unnecessary urban sprawl, and fostering participatory approaches throughout transformation processes.
The inability to recognize or reflect the multidimensional and multi-actor nature of urban design and transformation in practice often stems from the fact that actors involved in these processes (such as municipal staff, public officials, engineers, and architects) typically lack the expertise and experience required in this specialized field. The proposed Master’s Program in Urban Design and Transformation has been developed primarily to address this gap observed in design and planning processes. At Çankaya University, the program emphasizes the multidimensional character of urban design and transformation, highlighting that, beyond physical interventions, their economic, social, and spatial dimensions must also be considered. In this way, the program aims to provide both current practitioners and students/professionals aspiring to specialize in this field with the theoretical knowledge base and the ability to develop alternative models of urban design and transformation.
Furthermore, the Master’s Program in Urban Design and Transformation seeks to train expert urban designers who can understand the historical evolution of design and planning paradigms through cause–effect relationships, interpret these within the context of contemporary urban issues, and develop future visions and public policies. The program aspires to foster approaches that bridge the gap between spatial and physical interventions and policy-making processes through urban design. The curriculum incorporates research covering a wide range of design and transformation topics at various scales. Within this scope, students are expected to engage in studies on sustainable urban design, urban form and aesthetics, the redesign of central areas, design solutions for metropolitan regions, neighborhood transformation and design, urban fabric and history, changes in social structure, public space design, and open space planning. Thus, the program supports research and applications that respond to diverse urban needs, ensure the efficient use of urban land, enhance urban welfare and quality of life, and contribute to sustainability and participation. Ultimately, it is expected to foster safer, healthier, and more livable cities.
The interdisciplinary structure of the Master’s Program in Urban Design and Transformation integrates the following dimensions: