Academic profile
Curriculum vitae
Kenan Çolak is an urban and regional planner and urban climate researcher. He holds a PhD from Akdeniz University and also holds a law degree. He has more than eleven years of institutional experience in Türkiye in cultural heritage conservation, conservation-oriented zoning planning and the management of urban development. His research examines how urban morphology and its change relate to land surface temperature, using Landsat and Sentinel imagery, land cover classification, spatial statistics and temporal change analysis. His doctoral research in Antalya develops a controlled comparison approach built on areas whose physical characteristics remain stable, and a current project examines redevelopment around SkyTrain stations in Metro Vancouver. He is interested in translating urban climate evidence into concrete planning decisions and is open to postdoctoral collaboration.
Download CVResearch and professional practice
Pursued academic research alongside public-sector planning responsibilities, working with planners, architects, engineers and other specialists on heritage conservation and urban development.
Legal qualification
Attorney-at-Law, Türkiye | Completed legal traineeship and obtained the attorney title.
Academic service and invited contributions
- Peer reviewer, ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning (2026).
- Invited seminar speaker, Turkish Network of Urban Morphology; urban heat and morphology research, scheduled for November 2026.
- Invited jury member for planning and design studios, Akdeniz University.
- Invited expert for the Urban Conservation course, Akdeniz University.
Emerging writing project
Book-length essay concept exploring urban memory, spatial transformation and the right to the city. The proposed work would trace the concept’s historical development and examine examples from different countries, asking how redevelopment reshapes lived places and collective memory.
Music and cultural interests
Active in music since 2004, with an interest in the distinctive instruments and musical traditions of cities in which I have lived.
Selected peer-reviewed publication
Çolak, K., Kepenek, E., Gençel, Z., & Ertugay, K. (2022). The use of Geographic Information Systems in preventing illegal excavations for the destruction of cultural heritage. International Journal of Ecosystems and Ecology Science, 12(4), 235-244. https://doi.org/10.31407/ijees12.428