Conference Themes & Topics

For 2023 we are organising the programme around three meta-themes that cut across our established eight conference topics.

Submitted abstracts will need to fit within the scope of the conference topics, however these meta-themes shall provide a framework for a broad, multi-disciplinary discussion, inlcuding keynotes, panel discussions and paper presentations, over the three days.

meta-themes

Inspiring change & innovation

This theme will be centred around inspiring stories of impact and innovation within cities and towns from around the UK and the world. The theme seeks to learn from leading responses to the challenges of the 21st century, highlighting the potential scale and pace of change possible.

We invite authors to submit abstracts for presentations describing case-studies and examples of rapid or significant outcomes in the systems of service provision for municipalities. We are interested in a broad range of outcomes, in terms of decarbonisation or reduction in the environmental impact of cities and towns.

Frameworks for flourishing

This theme is intended to open up a discussion around the frameworks through which we understand human (and non-human) flourishing within cities; the value we place on different aspects of the built and natural environment and systems of provision as we transition to net-zero. It will tackle questions surrounding meaningful measures of sustainable development, including the UN SDGs.

Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts addressing both the theoretical frameworks and applied aspects of this topic. How are more holistic frameworks being successfully implemented, and how are the barriers to their adoption being overcome to realise tangible benefits?

Collaboration & co-creation

The final theme will be centred around collaboration and co-creation. Recognising the urgency of the net-zero challenge, this theme will examine how relevant stakeholders can engage in the creation and implementation of processes and solutions.

We invite abstracts providing examples of successful innovations that are working to support engagement and collaboration between a wide range of stakeholders. We are interested in organisational, governance and regulatory structures, and how innovative solutions successfully navigate this complex landscape to meet pressing environmental challenges.

Conference topics

ICEC 2023 invites scientific contiributions on research and technological development as well as on particularly innovative case studies across the following topics.

Cities and infrastructure
Abstracts related to developing engineering solutions for planning and management to make cities more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive. Including, but not limited to, the following:
  • Urban systems – design, planning and management
  • Sustainable and resilient infrastructure
  • Connected infrastructure
  • Ecology, ecosystems and biodiversity
  • Climate change resilience
  • Post Covid-19 future pathways
Energy technologies

Abstracts related to engineering pathways for reliable and affordable sources of renewable energy to maximise use of renewable resources. Including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Decarbonisation of cities
  • Microgeneration and energy storage
  • Heating and cooling systems in cities
  • Energy efficiency and buildings
  • Building refurbishment and retrofit
  • Economic, social and environmental consideration
Smart cities and data

Abstracts related to the state of the art in smart cities and data analytics, understanding of the impact of artificial intelligence on the smartness of cities. Including, but not limited to, the following:

  • State of the art in smart cities
  • Understanding the impact of AI in energy and urban systems
  • Advances in data analytics
  • Internet of things: barriers and opportunities
  • City observatories
Cities, wellbeing and behaviour

Abstracts related to the human and social aspects of the transition to net-zero. Including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Urban design and wellbeing
  • Inequalities and inclusivity
  • Net-zero and social practices
  • Lifecycle assessment
  • Public and private partnerships
  • Civic engagement and net-zero
  • Collaboration for innovation
Sustainability in business

Abstracts addressing the relationships between sustainable and resilient business and aspects of evolving cities. Including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Appropriate scale in the context of sustainable business
  • Facilitating the growth of small enterprises for net-zero
  • Net-zero: productivity versus social and ecological value
  • Attracting investment for delivering net-zero
  • Designing infrastructure for sustainable and resilient business
Low-carbon comfort

Abstracts to be submitted on low carbon comfort. Including but not limited to, the following

  • Adaptive comfort: thermal, lighting, acoustics
  • Air quality in buildings
  • Turbulent flows
  • Data-driven model and citizen-centric AI systems
  • Digital-twins
  • Mechanism Design and Incentive Engineering
  • Sequential decision making with uncertainty
Future mobility in cities

Abstracts addressing the design and provision of mobility within the urban environment, including but not limited to, the following:

  • Innovation in e-mobility services
  • Charging infrastructure and impacts on electricity network
  • Infrastructure for multi-model use
  • Automation and the use of artificial intelligence
  • Space allocation, (perceptions of) safety, desirability and user experience
  • Mobility-as-a-service
  • Multi-modal mobility
Addressing crises and resilience in cities

Abstracts relating to addressing crises and resilience in cities, including but not limited to, the following:

  • Urban resilience planning and frameworks
  • Complexity, interconnectedness and resilience
  • Digital resilience and cyber-physical systems
  • System capacity and redundancy
  • Security and resource resilience
  • Multi-system dependency and vulnerability
  • Inidcatiors of resilience