Call for Healthy Cities on World Urbanism Day

Assist. Prof. Dr. Nezire Özgece who is a faculty member in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture  of Cyprus International University (CIU) reminded that the November 8th World Urbanism Day will be celebrated for the 75th time this year with the understanding of life against destruction.  World Urbanism Day has been organized since 1949 under the leadership of Carlos Maria della Paolera, and Özgece said, “This special day, celebrated in many countries, draws attention to the role urban planning plays in the construction of basic living units and the necessity of producing fair, inclusive, sustainable solutions for everyone.”

Özgece, who pointed out that the events to be organized in Turkey within the scope of World Urban Planning Day will be held with a similar theme, said, “The theme of the 48th Colloquium to be organized by the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Chamber of Urban Planners has been determined as ‘DESTRUCTION – LIFE – URBANISM’.”

Özgece stated that the theme in question emphasizes the destruction caused by human-induced decisions as well as natural disasters, and shared the information, "The theme focuses on the role of urbanism in the cycle of destruction and life."

Reminding that the importance of urban planning has once again come to the forefront following the earthquake that occurred on February 6 last year and also affected North Cyprus, Özgece said, “In order to create livable cities in our country, the importance of urbanism should be highlighted and planning should be institutionally established on more solid foundations.”

Assist. Prof. Dr. Özgece stated in her statement that earthquakes repeatedly remind us of the responsibilities of all actors involved in the space production processes and the necessity of multidisciplinary research and studies on earthquakes, and added, “Earthquake safety is not only an engineering problem; it is also a multidimensional issue that affects the urban and social fabric.”

Noting that one of the main reasons for the destruction is site selection errors, Özgece said, “Earthquake safety begins at this stage. Planning decisions and policies at the urban scale are the first step in creating healthy living spaces before destruction occurs.”

Özgece also pointed out that post-earthquake reconstruction is not only achieved through fast and economical construction but that it is important for reconstruction to be carried out with a scientific and participatory planning approach that takes into account the public interest.

Özgece, who underlined that the texture, memory, identity of cities and the socio-cultural characteristics of settlements should be taken into consideration during this process, said, “While defending LIFE against DESTRUCTION, November 8th this year will remind us of the importance of building healthy living spaces for the society and preparing existing settlements against the destructive effects of all natural and social events under the light of science and technology.”