Merve Akı Yaman is the Senior Urban Development Manager at WRI Türkiye. Since 2013, she has focused on livable neighbourhoods, non-motorized transportation planning, public space, and complete street design. She has experience with integrated transportation projects and has conducted road safety and accessibility inspections on BRT lines in Turkish cities.

Previously, Merve worked as a researcher at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University on a project titled “Urban Regeneration Processes and their Socio-Economic and Physical Impacts on the Gecekondu Neighborhoods of Sariyer District,” funded by TUBITAK.

Her educational background comprises a Bachelor's Degree in City and Regional Planning from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from Istanbul Technical University, both earned in Istanbul, Turkey. Merve also engaged in extra-curricular activities related to Street Belongs to Us, an NGO focused on human-centered cities and streets.