Climate Change and Cultural Heritage: Educational and Research Approaches in Architecture Departments in Turkish Cities with High Climate-Induced Risks

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most critical issues of our age and defines a global problem area that needs to be addressed through interdisciplinary cooperation. This study examines how architecture departments in universities found in Turkish cities with high climate-induced risks address cultural heritage as a critical and specialized aspect of climate change. It aims to identify current approaches and levels of integration through an in-depth analysis of undergraduate and graduate courses, master's and PhD theses, research projects, and articles conducted within the scope of educational and research activities in architecture departments. Thus, it attempts to review existing approaches while identifying gaps and potential for developing specialized research and educational content for future interdisciplinary studies. The results reveal a lack of focus on the intersection of climate change and cultural heritage in education and research in architecture departments. While there is a growing interest, direct engagement at this intersection remains limited. A comprehensive, integrated and interdisciplinary approach has not yet gained significant prominence. Another aspect of this issue is that international/national documents/academic studies carried out in recent years declare that climate change should be addressed in a multidimensional way within a holistic approach. It is argued that the struggle against climate change can be weakened if different disciplines and institutions at local, subnational, national, regional and international levels do not cooperate sufficiently and if there is no holistic perspective to ensure coordination between all stakeholders. One critical element of this broad and comprehensive subject is the cultural heritage that unites individuals and contributes to social cohesion and sustainable development. National climate change documents in T & uuml;rkiye, such as the recently released Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (2024-2030), draw more attention than ever to the issue of cultural heritage. It is crucial to realize the potential of cultural heritage as a tool in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. In that sense, this study has a critical significance in pointing to the existing potential of cultural heritage in architectural departments of universities to create a more effective program of awareness and struggle against climate change. By revealing the current education and research studies, it creates a holistic perspective in line with the climate policy to address the deficiencies and makes suggestions to fill the gap.