Let’s build the future of our cities together with today’s awareness
World Urbanism Day is a day celebrated every year on November 8th to draw attention to the critical importance of urban planning on society and the environment and to create global awareness. This special day is celebrated with various events, panels, workshops and workshops in order to encourage planning the future of cities in a healthier, more livable and sustainable way. Through these events, the importance of a scientific approach to urban planning as well as a social perspective is emphasized, and the idea that urban planning is not only a technical process but also a social responsibility is tried to be adopted. Ensuring that cities are addressed in every aspect, World Urbanism Day brings together individuals, communities, local governments and academic circles, and creates awareness to better understand the cities of the future and build them in a healthy way.
Different themes are determined each year within the scope of World Urbanism Day, and these themes reflect the prominent issues in the field of urbanism that year. In recent years, the issues that have been on the global urbanism agenda include climate change, disaster and risk management, social equality, protection of cultural heritage, ecological sustainability and human-centered design. Especially with the increasing negative effects of climate change on cities, efforts to develop sustainable and climate-resistant urbanization strategies are one of the frequently discussed topics on World Urbanism Day. In this context, urban planning is not only about construction and infrastructure, but also a discipline that acts in harmony with nature, minimizes disaster risks and is in line with environmental sustainability goals for the future.
In Turkey, World Urbanism Day events are organized by the Chamber of Urban Planners of Turkey. With the events organized every year across the country, the public’s interest in urbanism is increased and awareness is raised about urban planning policies. This year, in 2024, the theme of World Urbanism Day has been determined as “DESTRUCTION-LIFE URBANIZATION” and the events are held in Antalya. This theme aims to reveal the various threats that cities face, strategies for sustaining life in the face of these threats, and the role that urban policies play in this process. Especially in countries located in active earthquake zones such as Turkey, it is of great importance to address urban planning and construction within the framework of disaster resilience. This year’s events aim to give wide coverage to issues such as the importance of building cities that are resilient to natural events, especially earthquakes, post-disaster reconstruction processes, and creating livable areas.
The main purpose of World Urbanism Day is to raise public awareness to make cities healthier, greener, and more livable, and to encourage everyone to take an active role in this process. Creating sustainable, fair, nature-friendly, and culturally valuable cities for future generations will only be possible with the contribution of every segment of society. On this awareness day, a comprehensive awareness is created regarding urban planning; individuals, local governments, public institutions, and academic institutions are invited to cooperate for the sustainability and resilience of cities. This call made on the occasion of World Urbanism Day offers an opportunity to build not only today’s cities, but also tomorrow’s cities.
Click to Watch Our November 8 World Urbanism Day Video.
