RESILIENCE AND URBAN HERITAGE

Bursa /  Turkey, 10.04.2024 - The UNESCO Chair of RheinMain University of Applied Sciences hosted a workshop in the Bursa UNESCO World Heritage Site from March 25th to 29^th 2024, jointly organized by RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and Bursa Uludag University's Department of Architecture. Bursa, situated in the north-western region of Turkey, was the first capital city of the Ottoman Empire and the Sultan's Seat in the 14th Century, boasting a unique urban and rural system for its time.

The primary objective of the workshop was to investigate the resilience of the Bursa UNESCO World Heritage Context by applying the Heritage Impact Assessment methodology to address various risk factors, including disasters, climate change, socio-economic transformations, and urban development projects. Six students from RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and 17 students from Uludag University and Erciyes University collaborated on-site. Guided by coordinators Prof. Michael Kloos, Dr. Merve Demiröz Torun, and Prof. Tülin Vural Arslan, alongside academic participants, including Prof. Figen Kıvılcım Çorakbaş, Selen Durak, Gonca Büyükmıhçı, Leyla Kaderli, and the Site Manager of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Prof. Neslihan Dostoglu, the participants engaged in various training lectures and field surveys.

The workshop culminated in a highly insightful gathering, with outcomes assured to contribute to a comprehensive research project. These results promise to enrich our understanding of sustainable heritage conservation and urban resilience within the UNESCO World Heritage Context.