November 17, 2026 / Tuesday / 12:30

Faculty of Architecture, Kubbealtı, Middle East Technical University

Esen Çağlar (Managing Partner), Ekin Erdolu (Research Manager), Senanur Yaman (Researcher) – Policy Analysis Laboratory

The Economic and Spatial Ecosystem of Ankara's Industry: A Critical Technologies Perspective

Ankara's industrial ecosystem forms a multi-layered structure comprising universities, technology development zones, organized industrial zones, and manufacturing industry. This talk will address the economic and spatial impact of this structure on the city, with a focus on critical technology fields. From an economic perspective, it will examine how firms in these fields grow, specialize, generate value, and reach export markets, as well as how the value produced is shared between leading firms and the broader firm base. From a spatial perspective, firm-level data will be mapped to show the distribution of technology fields across districts, organized industrial zones, and technology development zones, along with where they concentrate and how they differ. Bringing the two approaches together, the talk will discuss how the city's segregated critical technology hubs could be integrated into a wider production and technology corridor. All are welcome.