IZTECH Department of City and Regional Planning was established in 1992 as a research-oriented department which is committed to developing critical and creative urban thinking, teaching, research and practice in Turkey. Graduate education, which started in 1994, has played a key role in achieving this aim. The department currently offers two masters programs: MSc in City Planning and MSc in Urban Design.

Undergraduate education in the department started in 1998 with the aim to contribute to the design and planning of contemporary cities in Turkey. A unique feature that distinguished the department’s undergraduate program within the planning field in Turkey has been its incorporation of the disciplines of architecture, urban design and urban conservation in its curricula.

A primary concern of the department in recent years is to bring to life its founding missions. This involved a revision of our undergraduate program to deliver an academic education which i) provides a coherent understanding of social, economic, political and environmental aspects of urban change and processes that shape cities, ii) enables its students to combine an awareness of practice with a sound theoretical foundation, and iii) provides knowledge about the various techniques and methodologies in the field of urban planning, architecture, urban design and urban conservation. Revision of our graduate programs is also on the agenda.

Bringing to life the department’s founding missions also involves a dedication to be research active on behalf of research councils and governments in Izmir, Turkey and abroad. The department aims to build a dynamic and cutting edge urban research and is committed to ensuring that our research has a significant and positive impact locally, nationally and internationally.