Maintaining urban green and blue spaces under heat and water stress — Ankara case sites, monitoring capacity, building a CUE 2 consortium

WE OFFER:

Case sites under sustained water stress. Ankara’s parks and stream corridors, and the METU campus — a long-established afforestation and lake system on semi-arid steppe — are maintained under heat and drought conditions that many European cities are beginning to encounter. Our centre is located on the campus and works with municipalities across the region.

Monitoring and decision support. Through our SÜİT platform we work on IoT sensor networks, smart city communication infrastructure and urban data modelling, combined with BIM and digital twins, drone survey, laser scanning and GIS. This speaks directly to the topic’s interest in maintenance planning informed by weather and biodiversity data.

Urban ecology and water systems. Research expertise across both the green and the blue side of the topic, including vegetation and water management in relation to heat, drought and flood risk.

Inclusion and everyday use. Work on the right to the city, gender and urban experience — accessibility, safety, and the question of who maintains these spaces and who benefits from them.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Partners in contrasting climates. Colleagues working in wet-temperate or cold-climate cities, so that maintenance and stewardship models can be examined across different water conditions rather than within a single one.

Ecological monitoring expertise — biodiversity assessment and long-term ecological data.

Green infrastructure financing — funding mechanisms and business models for long-term upkeep.

Urban public authorities responsible for green and blue space operations, and interested in co-developing maintenance approaches.

We would be glad to discuss either a joint consortium or complementary proposals, and are happy to share a short concept outline on request.