‘What Kind of Izmir’ series continued with fifth panel
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The fifth panel of the ‘What Kind of Izmir’ series organised by İZPA was held under the title of ‘Regional Development and Urban Innovation’.
The fifth panel of the ‘What Kind of Izmir’ series, consisting of 8 panels and 8 workshops in total and moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murad Tiryakioğlu, took place at IzQ Entrepreneurship Centre.
The first speaker of the panel titled ‘Regional Development and Urban Innovation’, Prof. Dr. Erkan Erdil, Faculty Member of Middle East Technical University, emphasised that planning is of great importance for development, but the plan that can be implemented can be defined as a good plan, otherwise it cannot go beyond a wish list. Prof. Dr. Erdil stated that there is an ‘R&D fetishism’ in Turkey, whereas innovation can be made without R&D, and said, ‘There is a great erosion in education, and we are smuggling students trained with public resources abroad. Do we need so many technology transfer offices at universities? Many universities do not produce patents in parallel with these offices. I think open knowledge ecosystems should be supported.’
Following Erdil, Prof. Dr Aykut Lenger from Ege University took the floor and focused on urban innovation strategies. Lenger pointed out that social entrepreneurship is a critical topic and continued his words as follows:
‘Social welfare is more important here than profit motive. This type of entrepreneurship aims to empower marginalised groups, meet unmet needs and develop social capital. As for smart city and smart governance, an understanding that aims to increase the sustainability and quality of life in the management of cities with information communication technologies and artificial intelligence should be dominant. With smart energy management systems, efficient use of resources and better service to citizens should be ensured. In contrast to conventional innovation, low-cost, simple, creativity-based innovation aimed at large consumer groups should be preferred.’
‘The current understanding of innovation must change’
The last speaker of the panel, Dr. Hüseyin Güler from Kastamonu Entegre A.Ş., pointed out that the source of the problems discussed today is the dominant understanding of innovation and that this understanding has led to problems such as rapid consumption, excessive urbanisation, excessive consumption of resources and inefficient use of resources. Stating that engines based on fossil fuels, disposable plastics, monoculture agriculture are examples of this, Güler said the following:
‘An alternative to the current innovation approach is a responsible innovation approach. The three questions of innovation such as ‘is there a need’, ‘can it be done’, ‘is it worth doing’ are not enough. It is necessary to add the questions ‘is it sustainable’ and ‘is it ethical’ to these. We should work on how we can increase the use of natural materials in living spaces and buildings. Because these natural materials have a low carbon footprint and are carbon sinks. Vision 2074 requires a focus on exploration, and we need to move away from today's focus on efficiency and focus on getting there. We need a balanced approach between today and tomorrow.’
The panel ended with a question and answer session after the speeches.
The ‘What Kind of Izmir’ series, designed by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Izmir Planning Agency, will continue with panels and workshops that will be open to the participation of all Izmir residents every two weeks. The study is expected to provide important outputs for the Vision 2074 Framework Document.
