METU is the local coordinator of the project titled “CRAFT: Developing a Novel Climate Change Risk Assessment Framework for Cultural Heritage in Turkey”, funded by United Kingdom Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
The project, which started in December 2020 and is spanning over a period of one year, aims to evaluate the impact of landslides and flash floods on selected cultural heritage sites in Istanbul under future climate scenarios by developing susceptibility/vulnerability maps via Geographic Information Systems. Turkey, with its 18 sites on UNESCO World Heritage List and 85 sites on tentative lists, hosts a vast array of archeological and cultural assets. As also remarked by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), flash floods and landslides, which are among frequently observed and destructive natural disasters in Turkey, make risk assessment and management of cultural heritage sites, particularly in Istanbul where one-third of registered cultural properties in Turkey located, an urgent necessity. The project, in this context, directly addresses to this urgent need by researching and developing a novel climate change risk assessment framework for immediate and long-term effects of climate change on cultural heritage in Turkey, specifically UNESCO World Heritage sites and the Historical Peninsula of Istanbul. Therefore, the research is set to make contributions to the overall purpose of reaching and maintaining a more resilient and sustainable cultural heritage in Istanbul through developing a framework that can make investments more efficient and compatible with cultural heritage.
The project team includes Turkey local coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr.Nejan Huvaj from Department of Civil Engineeringas well as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meltem Şenol Balaban from Department of City and Regional Planning and Disaster Management Implementation and Research Center, graduate student Olgu Orakcı from Department of Civil Engineering, PhD student Kadir Anıl Tarancı from Geodetic and Geographic Information Technologies Program and PhD candidate Aynur Uluç from Department of City and Regional Planning at METU, along with researchers and experts from Durham University, Yıldız Technical University, Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Boğaziçi University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute.
All partners of the project can be seen at this link: https://ce.metu.edu.tr/en/announcement/new-international-project-climate-change-and-cultural-heritage
