Rethinking Urban Justice: Hope, Utopia and Coexistence Symposium Held

The symposium titled “Rethinking Urban Justice: Hope, Utopia and Coexistence,” organised by the Faculty of Health Sciences at Istanbul Gelisim University, was held on Friday, 15 May 2026.

Coexistence and Sustainable Cities Highlighted in the Opening Remarks

The event began with opening remarks delivered by Prof. Dr. Bahri Şahin, Rector of Istanbul Gelisim University; Prof. Dr. Mustafa Nizamlıoğlu, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences; Prof. Dr. İsmet Galip Yolcuoğlu, Head of the Department of Social Work; and Asst. Prof. Dr. Emrah Tüncer.

The speakers emphasised the importance of urban justice, a culture of coexistence, sustainable urban development and interdisciplinary thinking.

Prof. Dr. Naci Görür Addressed Disaster-Resilient Cities

Prof. Dr. Naci Görür, a founding member of the Science Academy, attended the programme as the keynote speaker. In his speech titled “Disaster-Resilient Cities,” Prof. Dr. Görür drew attention to the importance of building cities that are prepared for disasters, scientific urban planning, public awareness and resilient urban development.

Students from Different Departments Presented Their Utopia-Themed Projects

Following the keynote speech, the evaluation committee was introduced and information was provided about the student competition organised as part of the symposium.

Students from the Departments of Nutrition and Dietetics, Child Development, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Nursing, Audiology, Perfusion, Health Management and Social Work within the Faculty of Health Sciences shared their utopia-themed presentations with the participants.

The student presentations explored themes such as cities, hope, justice, coexistence and a sustainable future from different disciplinary perspectives. Following the presentations, which highlighted creative ideas and solution-oriented approaches, the jury evaluation was carried out.

Awards Presented to the Winning Departments

The departments ranked as follows following the jury evaluation:

• First Place Department of Speech and Language Therapy
• Second Place Department of Social Work
• Third Place Department of Occupational Therapy

The winning students were congratulated during the award ceremony and presented with certificates of achievement and prizes.

An Interdisciplinary Academic Platform

The symposium provided an important academic platform that contributed to students’ ability to think creatively, develop solutions to social issues and adopt an interdisciplinary perspective. The event concluded with an award ceremony and a group photo session.