Fostering Sustainability and Resilience in Engineering Education and Practice: Lessons Learnt from the 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquakes

Emel Sadikoglu, Sevilay Demirkesen, Oguz Dal, Onur Seker, Paweł Nowak and Selcuk Toprak ()
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Emel Sadikoglu: Department of Civil Engineering, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli 41400, Turkey
Sevilay Demirkesen: Department of Civil Engineering, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli 41400, Turkey
Oguz Dal: Department of Civil Engineering, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli 41400, Turkey
Onur Seker: Department of Civil Engineering, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli 41400, Turkey
Paweł Nowak: Civil Engineering Faculty, Division of Production Engineering and Construction Management, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland
Selcuk Toprak: Department of Civil Engineering, Gebze Technical University, Kocaeli 41400, Turkey

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-32

Abstract: Sustainability involves continuously enhancing processes to yield long-term environmental, economic, and social benefits. The construction industry necessitates innovative and practical approaches in both education and construction practice to foster sustainable development. This study contributes to the discourse on sustainability in engineering education and construction practice by presenting the outcomes of the European-funded project “CLOEMC VI—Common Learning Outcomes for European Managers in Construction”. The main aim of this study is to investigate construction practices and civil engineering education from the perspective of sustainability considering the impact of earthquakes on the construction sector. This study incorporates insights from interviews conducted with construction professionals in the region affected by the February 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes in Turkey. The interviews examine reflections on building sustainable cities through earthquake-resilient practices. This study also conducts a questionnaire survey targeting academics in civil engineering departments in Turkey. The questionnaire survey evaluated the integration of sustainability and resilience into civil engineering curricula. The key contribution of this research lies in demonstrating how the manuals developed under the EU-funded project can be effectively integrated into engineering education and how insights from disaster-affected communities can inform a more robust framework for sustainability. This study provides valuable guidance for policymakers and researchers in developing strategies for implementing sustainability in engineering education and the construction industry, ultimately contributing to the advancement of sustainable development practices.

Keywords: sustainability; engineering education; disaster resilience; earthquakes and impacts; CLOEMC VI; curricula development; sustainable development; earthquake-resilient practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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