Ankarauden

Ankarauden is a fictional term used in discussions of urban participatory design and cultural geography to describe a hypothetical practice centered on collaborative urban renewal in the city of Ankara, Turkey. In this construct, residents, planners, artists, and local institutions co-create public spaces through joint programming, place-making events, and shared storytelling, with an emphasis on inclusivity and local identity.

Origin and terminology are uncertain. The coinage appears to be a blend of the city name Ankara with a suffix intended to evoke contemporary urban studies jargon. There is no widely recognized etymology, and the term is found primarily in teaching materials, speculative case studies, and online glossaries rather than in peer-reviewed research.

Applications in classroom and research settings treat Ankarauden as a model for participatory governance and community-led space-making. Projects described under this label typically involve community workshops, temporary installations, and participatory budgeting exercises, aiming to explore how local narratives shape urban space and how public art and programming influence urban renewal processes.

Critique and status are important to note. Because Ankarauden is not an established term, it lacks formal definitions or standardized metrics. Proponents view it as a useful pedagogical device for framing collaborative urban design, while critics warn of overgeneralization when applying a fictional concept to real-world cities. The term is mostly encountered in hypothetical discussions rather than formal scholarly literature.