Ela BABALIK

Ela BABALIK is a Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara. Her expertise spans Transport Policy, Urban Transport Systems, and Planning Education. She holds a B.C.P. from METU, an M.Sc. from UPL-METU, and a Ph.D. from University College London.

Research & Projects: Her work focuses on sustainable urban transport systems, policy reforms, and planning education challenges. Notable projects include benchmarking Turkish urban rail systems (Project Manager) and sustainable transport solutions for METU Campus. She has advised Turkey’s Climate Change Action Plan and led EU-funded PARAMOUNT project.

• Member of AESOP Executive Committee (2013-2019)
• Chair of GPEAN (2017-2019)
• Editorial roles: Transactions of AESOP, METU Journal of Architecture

Awards: Second Prize (GDN 2001) and Finalist (Japanese Award 2004) for research on urban rail systems and transport policy impacts.

Teaching: Courses include Urban Transport Planning (CRP241), Transport Policy (CRP704), and Planning Studios (CRP201-202). She emphasizes bridging educational theory with professional practice.

Conference Leadership: Co-Chaired AESOP2012 Congress and organized PEMT'06 and CODATU XVI events. Active in global urban transport discourse through symposiums and workshops.