Güneş Sanli

Güneş’s path crossed with Play the City in 2019. Since then she developed a holistic perspective and develop alternative views on how to produce new and innovative approaches for designing future cities. As an urban designer and game designer at Play the City, she has been actively involved in multiple projects that promote bottom-up urban design processes. Her collaboration with Play the City has further fueled her academic interests and strengthened her commitment to creating inclusive and sustainable urban environments. 

Born in Ankara, Güneş holds a degree in city and regional planning at the Middle East Technical University, where she is currently conducting her doctoral research. Güneş holds an additional degree in geographic information systems and remote sensing as a result of the exchange program at the University of Manchester. In 2022, she obtained her master's degree in Urban Design from METU with a thesis titled "A Comparative Research on Participatory Practices in Istanbul and Amsterdam." Throughout her professional career, Güneş has worked on several projects in both the private and public sectors, participated in design competitions, and won various awards.
 

This project inspired me to start a collective of active neighbors and artists called “The Outsiders” in 2013. We create dynamic public spaces and engage citizens to take an active role in exploring the identity of their territory, with a focus on culture, food and the built environment. We also experiment with methods for civic design, placemaking and building improvisation.
My role as a game designer include leading design teams. Games I have collaborated on include themes of the circular economy, social change, urban transformation, migration and affordable housing. Collaborative urbanism is a powerful tool for territory exploration and city making. I'm inspired by Play the City’s ability to bring multiple stakeholders involved in planning issues together to share knowledge and collaborate towards a common goal.