Culturally Sensitive Urban Disaster Preparedness Welcome to MORE 2026

Lead Researcher: Giulio Verdini & Luz Navarro

Collaborators: Mimar Sinan Fine Art University, Istanbul: Güldehan Fatma Atay & Papatya Seckin; Abdullah Gül University, Kayseri: Burak Asiliskender & Ömer Devrim Aksoyak

Funding: British Council 2025 transnational exploratory grant: £25,000

The 2023 Türkiye earthquakes exposed critical gaps in built environment education and practice, particularly in culturally sensitive disaster preparedness and heritage-led urban recovery. This project, therefore, aims to build graduate-level capacity at the intersection of disaster risk management, heritage conservation and community engagement through a structured UK–Türkiye academic partnership.

The objective of the project is to design an interdisciplinary curriculum with industry partners and implement a pilot short course in collaboration with the local Chamber of Architects in the earthquake-affected region of Kahramanmaraş.

The ‘Urban Heritage at Risk’ digital platform will enable collaborative learning and scalable future delivery, while laying foundations for long-term Transnational Education programmes, including dual and joint degrees. By linking UK and Turkish expertise, the project upskills graduate architecture and planning students in culturally informed recovery practice, transforms curricula, innovates professional practice, and strengthens inclusive and gender-balanced pathways in the built environment, contributing to more resilient and equitable urban futures.

KEY WORDS: disaster risk management; heritage conservation; culturally sensitive urban recovery; transnational built environment education