Meet the Team

Anchored in Istanbul’s metropolitan realities, the Forum will use the city as a baseline before opening the conversation to stories that participants from around the world will contribute to. IUPF, officially launched this year at the World Urban Forum in Daku, and its partners, will carry their values of openness, shared learning and diverse perspectives into this event.

İdil Bayar graduated from the Department of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) in 2020. Since joining the Istanbul Planning Agency in 2021, she has been a key driver within İPA’s Coordination Office. She played a central role in the spatial transformation and public programming of the İPA Campus—a former municipal site transformed into an open, multi-disciplinary center for workshops, public events, and community engagement. As Co-Director of the Emerging Communities Forum for İPA, she brings her expertise in spatial process design, public program curation, and multi-stakeholder coordination to bridge international delegations with Istanbul’s local planning ecosystem.

Prof. Pietro Elisei is an internationally renowned town and regional planner, urban regeneration expert, and senior policy advisor. Holding a Doctorate in Urban Policy Design from Roma Tre University and post-doctoral research credentials from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, he has served as President of ISOCARP (International Society of City and Regional Planners) and as an expert consultant for the European Commission (URBACT, UIA), UN-Habitat, and UNECE. As Managing Director of Urbasofia, he leads international research projects on circular cities, urban resilience, smart governance, and heritage-led development. Serving as Co-Curator for IUPF, Prof. Elisei connects academic rigor and European policy frameworks with ground-level urban realities.

Semih Ertürk is a researcher and urban planner at the Istanbul Planning Agency, contributing to İPA’s strategic initiatives and thematic studies on urban social policies, spatial justice, and spatial transformations. Working at the intersection of urban sociology, spatial planning, and civic engagement, he focuses on developing qualitative data models and participatory methodologies for disadvantaged communities and secondary spaces. As Co-Curator for İPA, Ertürk co-leads the thematic alignment of the forum’s Call for Stories, ensuring that grassroots narratives from both the Global South and North are meaningfully integrated with Istanbul's strategic planning discourse.

Oktay Kargül is an urban planner and executive specializing in urban design, heritage conservation, and strategic spatial planning. He holds a degree in City and Regional Planning and a Master’s in Urban Design from Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ). Over his career spanning academia, local government, and planning practice, he has led major municipal vision plans and archaeological site management projects. Having served in leadership roles within the Chamber of City Planners, Kargül has been leading the Istanbul Planning Agency as General Manager since 2020. He champions İPA as a participatory "common mind mechanism" (ortak akıl mekanizması) that bridges scientific research, civic participation, and long-term strategy (including the Istanbul Vision 2050) to shape the future of the metropolis.

Prof. Ali A. Alraouf is an internationally acclaimed architect, urban planner, and researcher specializing in sustainable urbanism, knowledge-based development, and post-carbon city transformations. A former Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley, he currently serves as Head of Capacity Building, Training, Research, and Development at Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality, Visiting Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and Leader of the Green Urbanism Group at the Qatar Green Building Council.

With over 105 peer-reviewed publications, books, and chapters to his name, Prof. Alraouf has provided expert consultancy to major international organizations including UN-Habitat, UNESCO, ESCWA, and ICOMOS. His research on Middle Eastern urban development has earned numerous accolades, notably the ISOCARP Book Award (2018) and the UC-Berkeley Best Research Paper Award (2018). As Head of the ECF Awards Programme, he brings global academic rigor, institutional leadership, and a deep commitment to sustainable practice to celebrate impactful urban contributions from around the world.

Prof. Dr. Darinka Golubović-Matić is a distinguished spatial planner, researcher, and educator based in Belgrade with over two decades of international experience in urban development and territorial governance. She holds a Ph.D. in Spatial Planning from the University of Belgrade and serves as a professor and academic advisor across several prominent European institutions.

Throughout her career, Prof. Golubović-Matić has combined academic rigor with practical policy design, contributing as a senior expert to multi-scalar urban regeneration projects, cross-border spatial strategies, and heritage-led development across South-Eastern Europe. An active leader in global planning networks, including ISOCARP, she focuses her research on strategic spatial resilience, participatory governance mechanisms, and climate-adaptive urban design. At ECF 2026, she brings her extensive expertise in South-Eastern European planning systems to bridge regional practitioner networks with global urban policy frameworks.

The NextGen UP Workshop is anchored by an international team of senior planners, researchers, and urban designers dedicated to empowering the next generation of spatial practitioners. Combining decades of academic leadership and field experience across Western, Eastern, and Central Europe, this mentor team bridges spatial planning, tactical urbanism, and cross-border education.

• Prof. Dr. Stefan Netsch & Dr. David Calas (FH Salzburg, Austria) bring extensive expertise from the Alpine-Central European corridor in smart regional development, sustainable spatial design, and innovative teaching formats that connect university research directly with municipal practice.
• Dr. Serin Geambazu (Bucharest, Romania) adds a vital Eastern European perspective, specializing in urban regeneration, participatory design, and community-led spatial interventions in rapidly changing post-socialist urban contexts.
• Irina Karaselnikova (Moscow, Russia) contributes deep expertise in complex urban systems, strategic territorial planning, and facilitating cross-cultural design workshops for young professionals.

Together, this senior team leads the workshop's methodology—guiding young planners from around the globe to translate raw, grassroots "New Urban Narratives" into actionable design concepts and policy recommendations during the forum.