Izmir Workshop With Stakeholders – First Programme Announcements

CLI-MET is pleased to announce the first confirmed keynote speakers and panel sessions for the Workshop with Stakeholders in Izmir, taking place from 28 to 30 September 2026 at Tarihi Havagazı Fabrikası.

The workshop will bring together CLI-MET partners, metropolitan representatives, local stakeholders, practitioners, and experts to discuss climate action at the metropolitan scale. The programme will combine keynote lectures, international perspectives, and local case studies, creating a space for exchange between academic research, metropolitan practice, and policy implementation.

More information about the full workshop programme and participation will be shared soon.

Keynote speakers

Keynote 1

If metropolitan governance is the answer — what was the question?

Karsten Zimmermann
TU Dortmund University

Karsten Zimmermann, coordinator of one of CLI-MET’s higher education partner institutions, will open a reflection on metropolitan governance and its relevance for addressing complex territorial and climate challenges.

Keynote 2

Addressing the Climate Challenge at Metropolitan Scale: From METREX Learning to Helsinki’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Approach

Alpo Tani
Climate Change Mitigation Specialist, City of Helsinki, Finland

Alpo Tani will bring insights from Helsinki’s experience in climate change mitigation and adaptation, linking local action with the wider learning processes developed through metropolitan cooperation and exchange.

Panel sessions

Panel 1

Climate challenges at the metropolitan scale: international perspectives and case studies

Curated by METREX, this panel will bring together international perspectives on how metropolitan areas are responding to climate challenges through governance, planning, and policy innovation.

Moderator: Viviana Rubbo, METREX

Speakers:

• Roman Kizyma, Executive Director of the Lviv Agglomeration Association and Water Management Development Officer in the Municipality of Lviv, Ukraine;
• Jorge Brito, Executive Secretary, CIM Coimbra, Metropolitan Region of Coimbra, Portugal;
• Francesca Framba, Città Metropolitana di Milano, Italy.

Panel 2

Climate adaptation strategies in Izmir: local experiences and challenges

Curated by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, this panel will focus on local experiences and challenges related to climate adaptation in Izmir, bringing together academic and technical perspectives from the metropolitan context.

Speakers:

• Alper Baba, Head of International Water Resources Department, İzmir Institute of Technology;
• Okan Fıstıkoğlu, Department of Civil Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University;
• Nicel Saygın, Department of City Planning, İzmir Institute of Technology.