Zeynep GÜNAY is professor of urbanism at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Istanbul Technical University [ITU]. Her major area of interest is heritage politics and policies, with a particular focus on critical narratives based on conflict heritage, memory & preservation industry, and neoliberal interpretations, as well as everyday life commons and justice. In her taught and project courses, she also reflects upon critical perspectives in urban studies and politics <urban and planning histories; culture, arts and urban space; body politics, liminalities and public space; circularity and waste> with a specific interest upon the developing world. She holds a bachelor degree in City and Regional Planning from the Middle East Technical University [2001] and Diploma with Commendation in Inner City Development and Housing in Transitional Economies Programme from the IHS Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies [2003] with MATRA Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fellowship. She received her first MSc degree with a specialisation on urban conservation [ITU, 2004] and her second on regeneration studies [Cardiff University, 2007]. She attained the title of PhD with her thesis on the sustainability of historic landscapes within the context of neoliberal urbanism [ITU, 2011]. Within her academic and professional career in ITU, she also serviced as a visiting lecturer in various international platforms including Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Technische Universität Darmstadt, and Tor Vergata. She has several international and national research and implementation projects including <Prizren Municipal Development Plan> under the supervision of UN-Habitat [2012] and UNESCO supported <Istanbul Historic Peninsula Conservation Project> [2003], which was awarded a Medal in in European Union Prize for Culture Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards 2004. She recently participated in Horizon 2020 MSCA-RISE Project on <Art, Culture, Economy to Democratize Society: Trans-making>. Her research culminated on alternative narratives on heritage, arts and conflict in Morocco, Chile, Bosnia and Sicilia through cooperation with non-governmental institutions [2017-2022]. She acted as the academic consultant of Istanbul Planning Agency Vision 2050 Strategic Document on Heritage [2021-2022]. She recently coordinated for ITU the Erasmus+ KA220 Cooperation partnerships project, entitled <CIRC.LE: Circular & Socio-Civic Learning Hub> [2021-2025]. Besides being a member of International Council on Monuments and Sites [ICOMOS], she is actively engaged in International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) as a former Vice President and Board Member. Being the Director of Young Professionals’ Programme between 2017 and 2023, she committed to knowledge for better cities with the young generations. Until today, she has collaborated with various municipalities and institutes to lead capacity building programmes in China, Qatar, and Indonesia among others.