Articles by Ezgi Kuran

December 13, 2024

Urban planning and citizenship: the battle for Istanbul’s future

Ezgi Kuran

In Istanbul, urban planning has become a battleground for the redefinition of citizenship. Ezgi Kuran describes how, in the 2024 municipal elections, the opposition CHP and the ruling AKP exploited urban planning to change what it means to be a citizen, and present their opposing visions of Turkey's future

Ezgi Kuran

PhD Candidate, Department of Conflict and Development, Ghent University

Ezgi's research interests lie in urban governance, institutional anthropology, and the intersections of politics and spatial planning.

In her master’s thesis, Redefining Citizenship in Istanbul and Beyond: Understanding CHP’s Success in Local Elections Through Urban Planning, she explored how urban policies shape political and social dynamics in Turkey.

She is currently developing a PhD proposal examining governance at the local level and the micro-mechanisms of institutional power.

Ezgi’s work emphasises the role of urban planning in redefining citizenship and sustaining or challenging political hegemony.

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