Gökçe Kuzey Özdemir

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Gökçe Kuzey Özdemir

Turkey

Gökçe Kuzey Özdemir graduated from Süleyman Demirel University, Department of City and Regional Planning in 2011, and she has a minor degree from the Department of Archeology. Between 2010 and 2016, she took part in the archaeological survey of Isparta and the archaeological excavations of Pisidia Antioch and Burgas (Palaia Knidos). She worked as a researcher in projects between 2010 -2011. She has various certificates from national and international education and research institutions on cultural heritage protection, urban archaeological sites, disaster and risk management, ecology and protection. She started her master’s degree in the Department of Urban Planning at Istanbul Technical University in 2015. In 2019, she received her master’s degree from Istanbul Technical University with her thesis titled “Definition of Emergency Preparation Processes Against Disaster Risks in Urban Archeological Areas, Case of Kucukyalı Archeopark “. In 2015 – 2020, she worked as a lecturer in the Architectural Restoration Program of the Vocational School of Istanbul Arel University, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning. She is currently a PhD Candidate in Middle East Technical University, Department of Settlement Archeology and currently working as a Urban Planner (M.A.) at E Plus Planning Project Consulting Trade. Co. Ltd. Among her fields of interests are archaeological heritage and management, urban archaeological areas, heritage and risk management, visualization on archaeological heritage, heritage and human rights and public archaeology.

The necessity and interdisciplinary role of archaeologists for urban archaeological areas

Remains of ancient sites and sacred areas often get trapped in urban contexts within today’s cities due to fast developing cities and urban sprawl especially in developing countries such as Turkey. At the same time, archaeological remains are continuously uncovered due to urban infrastructure and building activities. Urban archeology first emerged as a concept in Europe in the 19th century to describe, protect and maintain these areas while securing daily life in the cities. The co-existence of archaeological remains and cities has necessitated contribution of many disciplines in urban archaeological studies. Among these disciplines are archaeology, city planning, architecture, engineering as well as art history, anthropology, numismatics and geography. Interdisciplinary approaches are especially necessary because urban archaeological areas have different needs due to their varying location, age and different problems. They also require unique interventions including excavation, conservation, planning, presentation and management. In all these processes interdisciplinarity is a must not only in developing theories but also in the field and in application. In Turkey, the involvement of archaeologists in urban archaeological projects have been insufficient which resulted in inadequate evaluation and integration of archaeological remains in urban conservation plans. This demonstrated the necessity of professional teams, composed of experts in the field in order to devise effective and sustainable methods of protection at urban archaeological areas, achieve their integration with the city and their transfer to future generations through the years. Today, archaeological areas are often cut off from the rest of the city and are not protected in an effective and sustainable way despite a multitude of laws, regulations as well as application guides, advice notes and sample projects demonstrating the need for interdisciplinarity in management and conservation processes, funding and legal issues. The aim of this study is to examine these documents and previous projects and discuss the necessity of interdisciplinary studies, and especially the importance of the involvement of archaeologists in urban conservation projects. Determining the scope, framework and determination of research teams and their authorities constitute the basic steps of developing a new system for successful and sustainable conservation studies for urban archaeological areas.