Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Faculty of Architecture Dean Prof. Derya Oktay joined the World Smart Energy Congress held in the scope of “the 9th Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition” held in China, Wuxi city as a guest speaker.

In the congress where energy leaders and mayors were participators, Dean Oktay delivered a speech titled “Towards Smart and Human-centred Urbanism: Lessons for Future Cities”

In her speech, Prof. Dr. Oktay evaluated contemporary urban planning and design approaches with a critical view and revealed certain features of this approach with a smart urbanization model focused on human combining with certain aspects the traditional Turkish (Ottoman) city in the scope of a sustainable genuine city model.

“Planning and design should be addressed considering human and social life”

Dean Oktay emphasized that; green buildings or technical solutions which provide energy saving are not enough on their own to create a sustainable and livable city; and that a comprehensive planning and design approach is compulsory where technological solutions are addressed taking into consideration human and social life to attain positive outcomes from the energy revolution.

The only Turkish participant, only architect-city scientist and one of the two woman speakers of the congress, Prof. Dr. Derya Oktay said after their speech, which was watched with interest, that they were very happy to receive quite positive evaluations and new speech and cooperation invitations from managers from different countries. Oktay took this occasion to congratulate the “November 8 World Town Planning Day” of all the participants and give voice to their wishes and expectations for a sustainable and livable future in our cities.