Ebru Kurt Özman

Ebru Kurt-Ozman is an urban governance and policy strategy expert with a PhD in Human Geography, Planning, and International Development from the University of Amsterdam (AISSR, Urban Planning group). Her research focuses on entrepreneurial and authoritarian governance, community politics, and the politics of urban regeneration in Istanbul, with broader contributions to debates on state entrepreneurialism, megaprojects, and spatial change in Türkiye and beyond.

She has published in leading international journals including Urban Studies, Cities, and Regional Science Policy & Practice, introducing the concept of “entrepreneurial citizenship” to understand community responses to authoritarian urbanism. Alongside academic research, she serves as a trainer and module coordinator in the national YES-TR Green Certification Program for Buildings and Settlements, commissioned by the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, where she developed and coordinated the Social and Economic Sustainability (SES) module.

Ebru is also an active member of the Urban Governance Research Network (UGoveRN), through which she coordinates international seminar series and contributes to cross-regional dialogues on governance in the Global South and East. Her work bridges academia, policy, and civil society, with a strong emphasis on inclusive governance, sustainable and just transitions, and participatory approaches.