Ekim Tan

I founded the Amsterdam and Istanbul based city design and research network ‘Play the City'.

Our network focuses on strategic urban development in emerging countries, therefore consists of young and ambitious professionals from Cairo to Istanbul to Amsterdam. I am an experienced researcher and designer in international urban design projects. My hybrid worldview has been shaped by diverse cultural conditions of the east and west, islam and christianity, poverty and prosperity. Currently, besides running my practice, I am finalizing my PhD thesis at the Architecture Faculty of Delft University of Technology, Department of Urbanism section and at the International New Towns Institute, INTI in Almere. The working title of my doctoral thesis is Do not Plan: Play the City! Negotiation and design for the self organizing city. I also teach the design studio 'We, the People' under the Design as Politics Chair of Wouter Vanstiphout at the Technical University of Delft.

In the past, I have worked with Rotterdam-based offices Urban Affairs and De Urbanisten, as well as with Dutch municipalities and urban design offices on projects such as creating city vision 2035 for Rotterdam.

I have been regularly teaching and lecturing worldwide; amongst which for the Technical University of Delft, Aleppo University for Arts and Sciences, Rotterdam Architecture Academy, Amsterdam Architecture Academy, Copenhagen Business School, and Middle East Technical University.