Empowering the Next Generation to Participate in Urban Design
Prof. Dr. Cemil Atakara, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture at Cyprus International University (CIU), stated that this year's World Architecture Day will be celebrated with the theme "Empowering the Next Generation to Participate in Urban Design," and said, "With this theme, we wanted to emphasize the critical role young architects play in the planning and sustainable development processes of cities."
Reminding that World Architecture Day is celebrated every year on the first Monday of October, Atakara said, “This year World Architecture Day that coincided with World Habitat Day organized by the United Nations has been instrumental in highlighting the global urban development goals. The architecture sector aims to contribute to the development of new approaches for the sustainable future of cities through these two events.”
Prof. Dr. Atakara also stated that the International Union of Architects (UIA) invites the young generation to take part in these processes more actively, and noted that this is an indication of their belief in the contribution of young people to sustainable development with their innovative perspectives.
Atakara noted that the focus of this year's celebrations is on how cities can support sustainable growth, and he also added that "The aim is to develop strong and durable urban economies by spreading innovative and environmentally friendly practices and, in particular, energy efficiency, waste management, sustainable material use and encouraging environmentally friendly transportation systems that constitute the basic components of these goals."
Atakara stated that the creation of resilient cities, the defense of social justice, the reuse of sustainable structures and the implementation of construction practices based on a circular economy are among the main issues that stand out in this process, and said, “These studies aim to create environmentally friendly structures by reducing the cities’ dependence on external resources.”
Atakara said that successful projects will be exhibited and urban transformation processes led by young people will be introduced on the 2024 World Architecture Day. He also added that the importance of participatory urban design will be emphasized and the necessity of building a more sustainable life for the future will be restored. He congratulated all architects on World Architecture Day.