Urban Dialogues | Beyond the Urban: Identity and Cooperation  • UCL DPU - Prof. Dr. Michael Walls & Prof. Dr. Haim Yacobi 

As part of our inspiring Urban Dialogues series, we welcome Prof. Dr. Michael Walls and Prof. Dr. Haim Yacobi, renowned experts in critical urban studies and urban identity. Together, they will explore the intersection of urban identity, social cooperation, and how urban spaces shape societal dynamics affect urban identity. Drawing on their extensive research and experience, the discussion will focus on the role of urban planning in fostering inclusive and sustainable cities. The event will take place at İskele on Friday, October 25th at 19.00. 

*The event will be held in English.

*Etkinlik İngilizce gerçekleştirilecektir.

Prof. Dr. Michael Walls Professor of Development Politics and Economy and Director of UCL's Development Planning Unit (DPU). He has twelve years' experience in senior management in the private sector and lectures in 'market-led approaches to development' (a module titled 'Society and Market: Private Agency for Development'). For seven years, he was responsible for teaching development management at DPU ('Development in Practice'). Michael is also involved in research into livelihoods and informality in African cities. He was Co-Investigator on a project looking at Economic Knowledge in the context of the informal economy in Zaria, northern Nigeria and was Co-Investigator on a research project looking at Complex Land Markets in Uganda and Somaliland, entitled Spatial Inequality in Times of Urban Transition.

Prof. Dr. Haim Yacobi is an architect specializing in critical urban studies and urban health. His academic journey with the Development Planning Unit (DPU) at UCL began in 1997, when he graduated with distinction from the MSc in Housing in Development, supported by the British Council Chevening Award. He has held prestigious fellowships, including a Fulbright Post-doctorate at UC Berkeley and a Marie Curie Grant at Cambridge University, where he conducted research on contested cities. Yacobi's work focuses on the complex relationship between urban planning, health, and socio-political dynamics.