Emel Karakaya Ayalp is an urban planner and urban designer. She received Bachelor degree at the Department of City and Regional Planning in 2007 and Master degree at Urban Design Programme in 2010 at Middle East Technical University (METU). She completed her PhD (2016) at İzmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) on agro food system transitions and alternative agro food initiatives. Worked as a faculty member at the Department of City and Regional Planning at IZTECH between 2009 and 2016 and at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University between 2016 and 2018. Working as an Assist. Prof. Dr. at the Department of City and Regional Planning at İzmir Democracy University since 2018. Involved in different scientific research projects on urban planning history, urban growth and local governments funded by national and international instutions. Her recent scientific researches are on urban refugees and urban food planning. She is the executive of the İzmir section of the project entitled “A New Perspective on the Processes of Adaptation and Integration of Urban Refugees: A Social Innovation Experiment Aimed at Building Inclusive Cities”. Her interests cover urban planning, urban design, planning history, alternative agro food systems, sustainability transitions, urban food planning and urban refugees.