Urban and Regional Planning

Department of City and Regional Planning Web Page - Announcements and News

City and Regional Planning Profession

City and Regional Planning is a discipline that covers researches based on scientific methods and preparing plans, programs, and projects in order to provide rational solutions to urbanization and regional development problems in Turkey, or elsewhere around the world, and does any action to achieve this objective.

Spatial development of settlements is realized in national, regional, and urban scales and on the basis of socio-cultural preferences as well as physical thresholds. That is why; city and regional planning profession deals with various scientific fields ranging from natural sciences to social sciences.

The city and regional planner graduates from the Department of City and regional Planning with the knowledge on spatial planning and urban design. The graduate is aware and is able to cope with urban problems and can propose necessary solutions to these problems. The graduate deals with different topics such as urban design, urban transformation and urban protection where related decisions are taken from upper scale spatial plans ranging from national or regional scales with relevant development decisions (determining regional development policies and strategies, directing social and spatial development or planning of metropolitan areas) to lower-scale decisions on development of urban and rural areas. In short, the graduate has the capability to intervene to any urban problem.

Graduates of the City and Regional Planning Department by being bound to Development Amnesty and Professional Legislation and Code of Ethics, can also be authorized by the state as an authorized planner to prepare and sign urban development plans and territorial plans in public and private sectors. The graduate can also work as a city planner in central and local authorities, public institutions, real estate institutions, banks, industrial establishments, investment companies and else. In the public sector, a city planner can be appointed in different levels and positions.

In our University, a Carrier Support Center has been established in order to set communication with the graduates and to contribute to their carrier development (https://mbs.sdu.edu.tr). A carrier representative is present in our Department.

Qualifications Required

Candidates, applying to become a city and regional planner, are expected to easily create solutions to human settlements and public institutions, to have analytical and critical thinking, to have a high level of imagination and design capability, to have ability to cooperate and will to learn and to be capable of maintaining coordination and organization between other professions.

AIMS AND THE VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING

City and Regional Planning discipline, together with the development of creative thinking and implementation methods, covers urban quality increase, protection and preservation of settlements’ identity and traditional life style, urban quality, environmental sensitivity, ecological balance issues for the creation of more sustainable and liveable urban and rural areas.

The Department of City and Regional Planning, established in the Süleyman Demirel University (SDU) Faculty of Engineering and Architecture in the year 2004, has been merged to the Faculty of Architecture after the separation from this Faculty in the year 2012. The Department is one of the leading schools in the Southwestern part of Turkey. Today, with more than 338 graduates and 352 undergraduate and graduate students currently under education, the Department keeps on contributing to city planning education, the profession and the space and the people.

Undergraduate and graduate curricula of the Department has been designed with

The Vision;

To design in a way to support city planning discipline education in all spatial scales, discipline areas with modern, knowledge intensive and innovative researches carried by its well educated academic staff presentable in both national and international levels.

The Mission;

Is to educate intellectual and creative professionals and scientists capable of directing the future, creating livable spaces, transferring public interest to social living, and having the consciousness of environmental protection.

The major aim of the Department of City and Regional Planning is to achieve an inspiring, effective, presentable and intellectual academic identity recognized at national and international levels and to contribute to university’s institutionalization. Achieving quality and productivity in information, technology, and service production, and contributing to public services are the successive aims. Therefore; the Department undergraduate and graduate programs are designed to train planning students who can grasp holistic relationships, develop alternative and creative thinking on any problem given, and create designs and plans that can solve the problems of humanity and urban and rural areas or sectors.

Within this perspective; objectives of the Department can be listed as follows;

· To be in a recognized, leading, effective, recognized and competent position by its undergraduate and graduate education and scientific research and implementations.

· To be a part of national and international accreditation processes.

· To increase productivity and quality of education and to develop and to implement in a way to sustain this by forming a student centered education program through innovative technology use.

· To produce, use, and disseminate new information and technology in the academic studies.

· To educate city and regional planners who can consider country’s culture and realities by being sensitive to environmental and social problems within the intention of public interest, has the science and arts understanding, seeks alternative solutions with a participatory approach, capable of interdisciplinary studies, can propose solutions by questioning and analyzing, has developed communication skills, can train the self in every field, has design and planning skills, and has developed professional responsibility and ethics.

City and Regional Planning Department offers a 4 year (theory + practice, 8 semesters) undergraduate education plus a year prep-school education (on voluntary basis). Under graduate education covers compulsory courses, elective courses, and project courses. Each student satisfying a course prerequisite of 156 credits (240 ECT (European Credit Transfer System)) in total and compulsory training courses and graduation qualifications defined in “Two-Years Degree and Four-Years Degree Education and Training and Exam By-Law”, can graduate as a City and Regional Planner.

According to “The Faculty of Architecture Undergraduate Education Practical Training Principles” 2 separate summer practices, 60 days in total must be completed in public and private sectors apart from the Program semesters.

The Department’s graduate degree is offered from 2004 onwards according to the City and Regional Planning Major Scientific Area Graduate Program in the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences. The Graduate Program is completed in four semesters (two years). In the first two semesters, applied and theoretical courses are offered. In the following two semesters, it is expected from students to work on a master’s thesis supervised by an advisor.

Regional Planning, Transportation, Urban Geography, Urban Morphology, Sustainability, Climate Change, Urban History, Urban Design, Urban Conservation, Urban Geography are the major research areas.

The Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences has been accepting graduate students to the Architecture, Planning, and Design Ph.D. Degree Programs.

DEPARTMENT MANGEMENT BOARD AND MAJOR SCIENTIFIC FIELDS

DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT BOARD
Chair
Prof. Dr. Erkan POLAT
Vice Chair
Assist. Prof. Dr. Şirin Gülcen EREN

Academic Staff
Academic staff of the Department of City and Regional Planning is composed of 6 academics. There are also half-time and full-time instructors from the private sector or other departments supporting the Department’s Program.

Major Discipline Areas
The Department of City and Regional Planning is composed of City Planning Scientific Discipline Area and Regional Planning Scientific Discipline Area.

City Planning Major Scientific Discipline Area
Instructors
Head of Scientific Discipline Area
Prof. Dr. Ali TÜRK
Members
Prof. Dr. Erkan POLAT

Prof. Dr. Duygu GÖKCE

Research Assistant Halime GÖZLÜKAYA

Regional Planning Scientific Discipline Area
Instructors
Head of Major

Scientific Discipline Area
Assist. Prof. Dr. Pervin ŞENOL
Members
Assist. Prof. Dr. Şirin Gülcen EREN

SPATIAL CAPACITY
There are 3 lecture rooms privately-used by the Department within the Faculty of Architecture. A conference room, a computer laboratory, and a master program student study room are jointly used with other Departments of the Faculty.

Undergraduate Program
Bachelor in City and Regional Planning
Department Undergraduate Program Application Requirements
Students successful in passing the Student Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) Exam are accepted according to capacity numbers announced by this institution. Language of education is Turkish.

Undergraduate Program
City and Regional Planning Department offers a 4 year (theory + practice, 8 semesters) undergraduate education plus a 1-year prep-school education (on voluntary basis). Under graduate education covers compulsory courses, elective courses, and project courses. Each student satisfying a lecture prerequisite of 156 credits (240 ECT (European Credit Transfer System)) in total and compulsory training courses and graduation qualifications defined in “Two-Years Degree and Four-Years Degree Education and Training and Exam By-Law”, can graduate as a City and Regional Planner.

Undergraduate compulsory lectures cover basic discipline knowledge. Elective courses are also offered.

Students are accepted according to the Exam on Horizontal and Vertical Passes in Inter-Institution or to External Institutions according to central placement grades. Every year the center announces placement capacities and application dates of this Exam.

In addition to this, students may develop their professional experiences, activities in different disciplines through Minor and Double Major Programs.

GRADUATE PROGRAM
A graduate program with a thesis is offered through the City and Regional Planning Major Scientific Area Graduate Program since the year 2004 within the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences.

Students are accepted for the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Architecture, Planning, and Design Ph.D. Degree Program. Doctorate Program, established in the year 2013, is an inter-disciplinary Program with a thesis jointly supervised by the Department of Architecture and the Department of City and Regional Planning.

Application requirements and capacities are announced at the Internet page of the Institute. (https://fenbilimleri.sdu.edu.tr/)

RESEARCH AND DEVLOPMENT ACTIVITIES
Undergraduate and graduate students may take part in the projects carried by Department’s academic staff. Projects on various student oriented undergraduate and graduate subjects, like projects of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) are also carried on.

EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
Undergraduate and graduate students have the chance of having education and practices through exchange programs (Erasmus- Socrates/ Mevlana/ Farabi Programs) provided.

Agreement Signed Universities within the Socrates Program:
· Technische Universitat Kaiserslaurern; Germany

· Universidade Lusofona de Humanidades e Tecnologias; Portugal

· Poznan University of Life Sciences; Polland

Agreement Signed Universities within the Farabi Program:
· Atatürk University

· Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University

· Akdeniz University

· Erciyes University

· Gazi University

· Karadeniz Teknical University

· Mersin University

· Mimar Sinan University

· Muş Alparslan University

· Necmettin Erbakan University

· Ondokuz Mayıs University

· Ordu University

· Selçuk University

· Yıldız Teknical University

Mevlana Exchange Program provides an active immobility to University academic staff and students. Agreements with Universities are made by the University Presidency. There is no other agreement signed by our Department or the Faculty with another University.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Students in the Department of City and Regional Planning can participate to activities in different type and scales either held by the Department, the Faculty or the University.

DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES
Technical Excursions, Practices and Social Activities
Technical excursions are organized by the coordinators of the Department’s Planning Project courses to the planning area that will be studied that year. In this technical excursion; area characteristics and existing land uses are evaluated and information needed for the analysis are gathered.

Participation to various types of scientific activities organized by the Department or the Faculty is done together with the undergraduate and graduate students. At the same time, various student oriented activities are organized (Forums, talks, picnics, breakfasts, etc.).

Life in the University
Students can participate to acquaintance meetings, student community activities, cultural activities (cinema, theatre, concerts, workshops, etc.), exhibitions, sports activities. Süleyman Demirel University Student Communities are active in various fields.

For communities and their activities, See:

https://sksdb.sdu.edu.tr/tr/ogrenci-topluluklari/ogrenci-topluluklari-7924s.html

For the adaptation of newly registered students to the University and Programs, an acquaintance meeting is organized within the Orientation Week.

Student Representatives

Every class has a student representative and responsible academic advisor. In between class representatives Department representative is selected. Participation of Department representatives of the Faculty to the Student Council is maintained. The Faculty representative speaks on behalf of our Faculty in the University Student Council.