KORDON 2046: A Young Perspective on Izmir’s Future

Oct 19

4 min read

Organised jointly by Unitedwords and FADS Art Academy, KORDON 2046 brought high school students together with academics from Manchester Metropolitan University in İzmir. In a workshop combining architecture, digital art and design, we explored the Kordon’s present and future together.

At KORDON 2046, held on Saturday, 17 October 2026 at Renaissance Izmir Hotel, we came together to look at a familiar part of Izmir from a fresh perspective. Our starting point was a question that gave students room to use their imagination: If you had an idea to take İzmir’s Kordon into the future, what would you change?

This question went beyond imagining the buildings of tomorrow. It marked the beginning of an exploration of how people relate to the city, how they use public spaces and how technology could transform everyday life.

The free event gave high school students the opportunity to explore creative disciplines alongside university academics. It also allowed us to speak with parents about university education and their children’s future plans.

Exploring a familiar place through new questions.

For many people living in İzmir, the Kordon is part of everyday urban life—a place for walks, meetings and spending time together. Reimagining somewhere so familiar calls for a different set of questions: How do people come together here? How might the use of this space change over time? How could digital and physical experiences complement one another?

These relationships were at the heart of KORDON 2046. The workshop explored architecture through the connections between people, the environment, technology and urban life, extending its scope beyond building design.

In this way, the Kordon became more than a waterfront students might encounter every day. It became a subject they could observe, investigate and explore through creative questions.

From Today to 2046: A Journey of Ideas

The workshop was structured in two stages. The first focused on developing ideas for how the Kordon could be used today. We explored how spaces, digital systems and activities could give people new ways to experience the waterfront.

In the second stage, we turned our attention to 2046. How might an idea developed for today find a place in the future? How could it evolve as technology and everyday habits change? These were among the central questions of the workshop.

One of the strengths of this approach was that it made the connection between imagination and idea development visible. Alongside considering what made an idea compelling, students were encouraged to ask who it might matter to and how it could fit into urban life.

Throughout the process, students had room to think beyond the constraints of budgets and current technology. The aim was to create a learning experience that encouraged curiosity, questioning and creative expression.

Manchester Metropolitan University Academics in İzmir.

We welcomed two academics from different disciplines to the event:

Dr Danny CookneySenior Lecturer in Creative Digital DesignSchool of Digital Arts (SODA)

Dr Victoria (Vicky) JolleyReader in Architecture · International LeadManchester School of Architecture

Working alongside the academics gave students a chance to see how people think in these fields at university and what kinds of questions shape the development of an idea. It was an opportunity to experience a discipline’s way of thinking first-hand, beyond what a course title or list of modules can convey.

Thinking Together and Making Ideas Visible.

Working in small teams at KORDON 2046 gave students a chance to bring their own ideas into a shared discussion. Listening to someone else’s perspective, explaining their own proposals and finding connections between different ideas were central to the workshop.

Students could use collage, drawing and other visual methods to express ideas that might be difficult to put into words. These visuals gave each team something concrete to share, discuss and build on together.

For us, what students discover along the way matters as much as the ideas they produce: which questions capture their interest, how they like to work and how they express their thoughts in a team.

Exploring Universities and Degree Subjects Through Experience.

Architecture, digital art and design can spark students’ curiosity, but deciding whether to study one of these subjects is easier when they have a sense of what the work involves day to day.

“Do I enjoy drawing?” is one question to ask. Creative work also involves understanding people’s needs, exploring complex issues, developing ideas and sharing them with others. That’s why we see KORDON 2046 as a way to help students explore their university and degree options. Trying several disciplines together can introduce them to possibilities they hadn’t considered and help them ask better questions about what they want to study.

At Unitedwords, we believe students should have access to the information they need, opportunities to experience different learning environments and room to discover their interests through practice.

Meeting with Parents.

Parents joined us for the university presentation. While students took part in the workshop, families had the opportunity to speak with our team about university education and their children’s plans for the future.

It meant a great deal to us that parents travelled from Kocaeli, İstanbul and Bodrum to attend. Their interest has prompted us to consider holding similar events for students and families in other cities.

We believe that giving students a chance to explore their options, families a place to ask questions and both an opportunity to speak directly with academics can help them make more informed plans for the future.

The Value of Creating Together.

We would like to thank the Manchester Metropolitan University team for helping make KORDON 2046 possible. It was a pleasure to welcome Dr Danny Cookney and Dr Victoria Jolley to İzmir, and we are grateful to FADS Art Academy for working with us on the event.

Thank you, too, to the students whose curiosity and participation brought the workshop to life, and to the parents who joined us.

At KORDON 2046, we came together to imagine the future. Along the way, we saw the value of asking new questions about a city we know well and exploring those questions together.