The six edition of the International Conference on “Urban Planning & Architectural Design for Sustainable Development (UPADSD)” and the first edition of the International Conference on “Circular Economy for Sustainable Development (CESD)” were held together in collaboration with the University of Florence, in Italy, and took place virtually from the 14th to the 16th of September 2021, due to the travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The conferences addressed all the aspects of the sustainable development including the planning of infrastructures such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks. Moreover, concerns over climate change, clean air and water, renewable energy and land use, continue to draw attention to sustainability, sustainable urban planning and the developmental strategies, practices and models that ensure habitable, self-sustaining communities. It also sheds light on the role of cities and regions as promoters, facilitators and enablers of a circular economy has become clearer and of great significance in tackling challenges of natural resource depletion, waste management and more.

Among the main topics discussed in the conference:

1-     City Planning: Urbanization and Development

2-     Past and Future: City's Image and Preservation

3-     Compact Cities Context at Low and High Densities

4-     Evolving Architecture and Rethinking Cities

5-     Art and Defining the City

Day 1:

Welcoming Session:

The Opening Ceremony started with the online registration and welcoming speeches from the conferences Chairs.

Short welcoming speeches were given by the conference chair Professor Francesco Alberti UPADSD Conference Chair & Professor at the Department of Architecture (DiDA), University of Florence, Italy, and the conference chair Professor Fabio Pollice CESD Conference Chair & Full Professor of Economic-Political Geography & Rector of the University of Salento, Italy, followed with speeches Professor Ferdinando Trapani, IEREK advisor and Professor in Urban Planning, Polytechnics School at the University of Palermo, Italy.

Following the welcoming speeches, Toka Amer, IEREK representative and Operations Manager at IEREK, Egypt, delivered a presentation about IEREK introducing the company and its activities to the audience.

Plenary session:

A plenary session followed introducing the first keynote speaker, Prof. Alessandro Melis, Endowed Chair Professor, New York Institute of Technology, whose speech was entitled: “Resilient Communities.” and the second keynote speaker Professor Alcestis P. Rodi Associate Professor of Urban Design and Planning, Department of Architecture, University of Patras, whose speech was entitled: “"After the Pandemic: The Rise of the Post-Generic City”

After the keynotes speech was the First Session of the conference entitled “Past and Future: City's Image and Preservation” The session was moderated by Dr. Elena Tarsi, , University of Florence, Italy, and Prof. Maria Rita Gisotti, University of Florence, Italy. The session had four presentations before a short break.

Following the short break, the first session continued. And nine presentations were discussed, then concluded the first day of the conference.

 Day 2:

The second day of the conference started with the speech of the third keynote speaker, Arch. Valerio Barberis, Deputy Mayor for urban planning, environment and circular economy of the municipality of Prato. Professor of Architectural, Design at the Department of Architectural Design at the University of Florence, with a speech entitled: "Prato Green Deal"

After the keynote speech, the second Session started entitled: “City Planning: Urbanization and Development” which was moderated by Professor Massimo Carta, University of Florence, Italy, and Dr. Antonella Radicchi, TU Berlin, Institute of Urban and Regional Planning. The second session discussed eight presentations before a short break.

Following the short break was the fourth Keynote Speaker Professor Francesco Alberti, Professor at the Department of Architecture (DiDA), University of Florence, Italy, with a speech entitled: "Making cities accessible to all. A shared approach promoted by the Italian National Institute of Urban planning".

Following the keynote speech, the second session continued. And five presentations were discussed, then concluded the second Session of the conference.

Next was the third Session of the conference entitled: “Circular Economy: A Sustainable Solution for a Sustainable Future” and was moderated by Dr. Michele Anzalone, Ph.D. in City, Regional and Landscape Planning and Advisor of Regional Authority of Sicily. And six presentations were discussed, then concluded the second day of the conference.

Day 3:

The Third day of the conference started with the fourth Session entitled: “Reimaging Cities, Territories and Landscapes” which was moderated by Professor Antonella Trombadore, University of Florence, Italy, and Dr. Antonella Valentini, University of Florence, Italy. The Fourth session discussed eight presentations before a short break.

Following the short break was the sixth Keynote Speaker Professor Maria Goula, Associate professor, Landscape Architecture Department, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Cornell University, US, with a speech entitled: "From waterfronts to waterscapes:a new coastal ontology".

After the keynote speech, the fifth Session started entitled: “Innovative approaches to Urban and Architectural Design towards Sustainabilit” which was moderated by Professor Antonella Trombadore, University of Florence, Italy, and Professor Rosa Romano, University of Florence, Italy. The fifth session discussed six presentations.

A discussion and a Questions and Answers session followed, and the Conference was concluded by a Panel session where final remarks and feedback were discussed.

With issues such as climate change, unequal economic development, and exhaustion of non-renewable resources, affecting national economies and lives today, governments and organizations around the world have taken interest in addressing the challenges posing environmental, social, and economic threats.

Aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals, to achieve a better and more sustainable future, is the Circular Economy concept. It represents a significant alternative to the traditional linear economy as means of reducing pressure on the environment, boosting economic growth, using and reusing resources and materials for as long as possible. This concept encompasses and applies to other aspects and sectors such as energy efficiency, land management, tourism, and more. However, the transition is quite challenging. It sheds new light on designing infrastructure using a greener model and other ways through which cleaner renewable energy and production can incorporate the circular economy model.

This conference will also discuss the intersection between Circular Economy and emerging trends such as Artificial Intelligence as means of improving operation, design and infrastructure optimization. Emerging technologies are being used as a way of blurring the boundaries between all sectors for one main goal: reducing our negative impact on the environment by changing production processes.

Understanding the need to inform and prepare individuals and organizations with the need to stay ahead, IEREK has organized the first International Conference on “Circular & Sustainable Economic Development” to be held in collaboration with the University of Salento of Lecce, Italy.  The conference will be a platform for all researchers, scientists, designers and planners, stakeholders, governmental officials, to be aware of the circular economy concept and its adaption in production and infrastructure leading to a more sustainable future.

Throughout this 3-day content-filled event, the opportunity of networking with experts in the field and sharing experiences is maximized. IEREK invites you to join the journey towards a more sustainable future from 21 – 23 September 2021.

• 1. Circular Economy: A Sustainable Solution for a Sustainable Future

  1-1 Linear and Circular Economy Models.
  1-2 Sustainable Industrial and Territorial Ecology Concepts.
  1-3 Innovative and New Models for a Sustainable City Design.
  1-4 A Sustainable Loop: From Linear to Circular.
  1-5 Principles as basis for action

• 2. Circular Tourism As A Key Factor

  2-1 Marine Litter and Tourism Waste
  2-2 Tourism and Hospitality Sectors In The Circular Economy
  2-3 Opportunities And Challenges Facing Circular Tourism
  2-4 Examples of Circular Business Models
  2-5 Tourism Development Strategies and Plans

• 3. Green Infrastructure and Renewable Energy

  3-1 Circular Concepts for a Greener Infrastructure
  3-2 Production and Transportation with Renewable Energy
  3-3 Repair, Maintenance and Upgrade
  3-4 Reuse, Remanufacture and Recycle
  3-5 Sustainable Designs for Greener Infrastructure

• 4. Manufacturing and the Role of Digitalization

  4-1 Product Design for Reusability
  4-2 Circular Flow of Materials to Maximize the No Waste Concept
  4-3 Rethinking Design and Manufacturing
  4-4 The Rule of the 3Rs: Reduce, Repair, and Recycle
  4-5 The Use of Digital Technologies in Improving Design & Operations

• 5. International Trade and the Transition to a Circular Economy

  5-1 Channeling Waste, Sorting and Processing Materials
  5-2 Challenges of Eco-Design and Recyclability Standards
  5-3 International Cooperation on Circular Economy Value Chains
  5-4 Potential Impacts on Trade Flows
  5-5 An Intersection of Trade and Circular Economy Policies

Instructions

- Each research paper should have one main author who should pay the full fee (Author fees) regardless of attendance.

- Each co-author (1-5 max) has his/her own separate fees to pay as shown in the table below.

- A research paper fee allows only one author, whether main or co-author, to attend the conference and receive only one copy of the conference Abstract book in both hard and soft copies. Extras can be requested for a fee shown below.

Conference Fees:  

Covid-19 Conference attendance Fees: Held online from the comfort of your own home, the fees below guarantee your virtual attendance for all days of the conference date above.

Authors must refer to, and abide by, the following instructions in submitting their abstracts/ papers:

Step 1: Abstract Submission Process

- The author should prepare and submit an Abstract (250 300 words) through the website and before the abstract submission deadline.

- The abstract should clearly state the purpose, results, and conclusions of the work to be described in the final paper.

- The author should select the most relevant topic for the paper from the corresponding conference topics.

- The author can use/download an abstract writing template to submit the abstract file accordingly.

To download the Abstract Writing Template, Click Here

Step 2: Abstract Review

- Upon submission, an abstract will undergo a preliminary evaluation process by members of our scientific committee.

-A relevant topic of the conference should be proposed with clear writing, aims, and objectives of the study clearly presented and sound literature and methodology of the work.

- The author will receive a notification by email, within 2 weeks, of:

• Approval, after which they will be requested to prepare and submit their full/short paper submissions.
• Rejection, if the topic proposed does not fit the theme of the conference.

Step 3: Paper Submission & Preliminary Review

There are 2 types of paper submission at this conference:

• Short Paper 
• Full/Long Paper 

Short Paper:

- A short paper submission consists of 4–5 pages and suits researches that make significant contributions, but still in progress or can be reported briefly.

- The structure of a short paper should contain its abstract, keywords, introduction, problem statements, and the hypothetical solution along with further studies that they will go through when they want to extend their paper to be published online.

- A short paper is only included in the conference Abstracts book and will not have a chance to be published online by Springer or by IEREK’s Journals unless the author extends their work to a full-length paper and pay the corresponding fee.

Full-Length Paper:

- The Full/ Long paper submission is 8 – 12+ pages in length.

- The full paper should state the major issue(s) addressed, the potential significance of the work, the theoretical and methodological approach(es) pursued, major findings, conclusions, implications, and relevant scholarly references.

- A full/long paper will be included in the conference abstracts book as well as get published online by Springer or by IEREK PRESS Journals.

- The author should submit the full/short paper written on the writing template, through our online system before the paper submission deadline.

- The full/short paper should be written in English as it's the official language of the conference.

Step 4: Similarity Check/ Plagiarism Detection

All Chapters will be screened for similarity using iThenticate; a Turnitin Plagiarism detection software, used for academic publishers. Springer Similarity guidelines are as follows:

• Max. % from all sources: 10-15%
• Max. % from one source: 3-5%
• Higher than 30% (all sources): Reject completely
• Lower than 30% (all sources): Ask for revision to decrease the similarities  

To download Paper Writing Template,   Click Here

Step 5: Payment Completion & Confirmation

Once Preliminary approval for presentation at the conference and/or consideration for publication is granted, authors will be expected to complete payment in reference to the Conference Fees.

Note: 
In this phase of revision, the research paper will be evaluated based on its originality, structure, and relativity to the conference theme. If the paper gets acceptance by one reviewer, a paper preliminary acceptance notification will be sent to the author accordingly.

- As soon as payment is confirmed and done successfully, corresponding official documents can be issued from our end such as:

• A signed/stamped preliminary acceptance letter
• Receipt of Payment
• Visa Invitation Letter

Step 6: Rigorous Peer Review Process (Full-length papers only)

Only after payment is confirmed,

- and the full paper submission deadline is reached, a submitted full-length paper is assigned to an Editor from the Editorial Board, in alignment with IEREK’s revision SOP (double-blind process).

- Each paper/ chapter is evaluated by a minimum of two reviewers, after which a final decision by the responsible Editor is made. There is no maximum to the number of times a paper can be reviewed, depending on the quality of the submission.

- Once a decision is made by the Editors, IEREK Editors will communicate one of the following three final decisions:

• Accepted without comments
• Revise and Resubmit – Minor or Major revision
• Final Rejection

- If modifications are in order, authors will be sent the relevant instructions and a deadline will be set. Missed deadlines may result in complete exclusion from the final publication/ final rejection.

- A back and forth process, modifications will be sent back to the responsible Editor/ Series Editor and another round of evaluation conducted.