Director of Research and Preservation
Zeynep Turan, our Director of Preservation and Research, trained as an architect and architectural historian. She brings to the role her scholarly expertise, experience in preservation advocacy, and a strong understanding of the relationship between the built environment and urban life. Before joining Village Preservation, she served as Director of Preservation at FRIENDS of the Upper East Side, where she worked on advocacy initiatives and community engagement. Through her writing and photography, Zeynep documented the neighborhood’s architecture and brought attention to the stories behind its historic buildings. Her work also addressed the loss of affordable housing in Yorkville and how it contributes to the displacement of longtime residents. As an educator, she has taught design, architectural history, and urban studies at colleges and universities in New York City, Istanbul, and Philadelphia. Zeynep holds a Ph.D. in environmental psychology from the CUNY Graduate Center, an M.A. in architectural history from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, and a B.A. in architecture from Middle East Technical University in Ankara.
