İlhan Tekeli (11 November 1937, İzmir) is a Turkish urban and regional planner, academic, writer and thinker. He is known for his contributions in the fields of urbanism, local governance, urban history, planning theory and social sciences in Türkiye. He is among the academics who significantly contributed to the development of the planning discipline in Türkiye.

İlhan Tekeli was born in İzmir in 1937. He completed his primary and secondary education in İzmir. After graduating from İzmir Atatürk High School, he studied at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Istanbul Technical University and graduated as a civil engineer in 1960. He earned his second master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Middle East Technical University in 1964 and at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. He completed his doctorate in the same field at Istanbul Technical University in 1968. He subsequently focused on urbanism and planning. He served as a faculty member at Middle East Technical University until his retirement in 1970. He is one of the founders and the first president of the History Foundation. He was a member of the General Assembly of the Council of Higher Education from 2004 to 2008.^【1】

İlhan Tekeli began his academic career at Middle East Technical University where he served as a faculty member for many years. He conducted research in fields such as urban and regional planning, local governance, migration, macrogeography, economic history, social systems and philosophy of science.^【2】

Tekeli, who analyzed urbanization processes in Türkiye from historical and social perspectives, is particularly known for his work on planning theory, democracy, participation and quality of life. He served as a consultant in urban planning projects for various municipalities including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and İzmit.^【3】

From the 1980s onward, his research on urban history, modernization and the Republican period established him as a prominent figure in the social sciences. His collaborative studies with Selim İlkin are regarded as foundational sources on Türkiye’s history of modernization and economic transformation.^【4】

Tekeli was among the founders of the History Foundation established in 1991 and served as its first president. He was one of the founding members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences and later played a role in the establishment of the Science Academy. He served as a member of the General Assembly of the Council of Higher Education from 2004 to 2008. Throughout his academic career, he participated in numerous symposia, scientific projects and research programs. In 2018, his students and colleagues established the İlhan Tekeli Urban Culture Foundation. The foundation conducts research in the fields of quality of life, participation, sustainability, governance and urban culture.^【5】

The İlhan Tekeli Urban Culture Foundation, named after İlhan Tekeli, was established in February 2018 with the contributions of his former students and colleagues. The foundation conducts scientific and cultural research in the areas of settlement development and transformation, urban life, human rights, democracy, quality of life, participation, sustainability and governance. It also contributes to the organization of academic and public events on urban culture through the İlhan Tekeli Urban Biennial held in Ankara.^【6】

İlhan Tekeli received numerous awards for his academic contributions, including the Sedat Simavi Social Sciences Award, Mustafa Parlar Science Award, TÜBİTAK Service Award, Sakıp Sabancı International Social Sciences Research Award and the Chamber of Architects of Turkey Award for Contribution to Architecture.^【7】

In 2020, he was awarded the Vehbi Koç Prize in the field of culture. Professor İlhan Tekeli, one of the most cited academics in Türkiye in the broad fields of urbanism and social sciences, has authored over 660 scholarly publications on urban planning, regional planning, social systems, macrogeography, local governance, economic policies, economic history, urban history, municipal history, educational planning, philosophy of science and historiography.^【8】

İlhan Tekeli has authored more than 110 books and hundreds of scholarly articles on urbanism, planning, local governance, urban history and social sciences. His major works include:^【9】

• The Evolution of Municipal Governance in Türkiye
• Migration and Beyond
• The Story of Municipal Governance in the Republic
• Modernism, Modernity and the History of Urban Planning in Türkiye
• Research on the History of İzmir
• Essays on Political Society and Democracy for Türkiye
• Essays on City, Planning and Democracy
• Urban Development and Planning in the Republican Era