TRACK 1 - SMART URBAN GOVERNANCE AND E-PLANNING - This track examines and discusses current practices, trends, challenges, and innovations in the governance and planning of Smart Cities, including in the context of crisis management. It seeks to explore how innovative city technologies can enhance inclusivity, equity, accessibility, development of safe cities, creative placemaking, and the development of energy-efficient cities. It also seeks to explore the role of spatial data and GIS technologies for evidence-based urban policies and planning, and the role of urban e-planning in the governance of smart border cities.
TRACK 2 - ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN URBAN GOVERNANCE - This track explores and discusses the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and urban e-planning. It aims thus to explore the implications of artificial intelligence for participatory planning, data analysis, and urban management.
TRACK 3 - CITIZENS e-PARTICIPATION IN URBAN GOVERNANCE - This track examines and discusses the multiple forms of citizen e-participation, and stakeholder engagement, including Citizen Science and Participatory Budgeting, and its role in urban e-planning. It seeks also to assess the e-planning tools and democratic innovations. How effective are existing digital tools / platforms in supporting citizens’ capacity to access public services and participate in planning activities? This track also seeks to examine how responsive city frameworks and people-centric approaches can integrate with e-planning to create inclusive, adaptive, and resilient urban environments, leveraging real-time data and participatory tools.
TRACK 4 – URBAN E-PLANNING AND THE SOCIAL DIMENSION. This track seeks to examine and discuss the role of urban e-planning in addressing social issues, namely the role of urban e-planning in gender-responsive urban development, in the planning for accessible and inclusive cities for all, including marginalised groups and people with disabilities, as well as its potentials and opportunities to govern informal settlement developments, and for planning affordable housing.
TRACK 5 - URBAN E-PLANNING, BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE EMERGENCY - This track explores, examines and discusses the role of urban e-planning in local / urban biodiversity and climate adaptation and mitigation policies, including energy transitions, urban greening, the effects of extreme temperatures, and other challenges and outcomes.
TRACK 6 - PLANNING FOR A VIRTUAL ECONOMY AND NOMAD WORKFORCE
The pandemic accelerated the expansion of remote working, and this seems to have a big local economic impact. This track aims to explore and discuss the issue of planning for a virtual economy and for a nomad workforce over the coming years. It seeks also to examine the Post-Pandemic Urban Design, to analyse how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped urban spaces and planning priorities, including hybrid work environments and public health infrastructure.
TRACK 7 - DIGITAL PLATFORM URBANISM AND THE SHARING ECONOMY
This track examines the growing influence of digital platforms on urban governance and everyday life. It responds to the increasing platformisation of urban services and the need to critically examine how cities can better govern and harness these technologies for public benefit.
TRACK 8 - DECOLONISING SMART CITIES: TOWARDS PLURAL AND JUST DIGITAL FUTURES
This track invites critical examinations of how smart city frameworks can be reconceptualised from Global South perspectives to address inequalities and promote more inclusive digital futures. It welcomes work that challenges technocentric and universalist approaches to smart urbanism.
TRACK 9 – THE EDUCATION OF URBAN E-PLANNERS AND PLANNING ETHICS
The widespread use of the new digital technologies in the field of urban planning, including the recent and growing application of AI, should be prompting change in how planning professionals are being educated. The track thus aims to examine and discuss, among other issues, the recent changes and innovations in the education and training of planners and the prospects of reform in the planning core curriculum; the need of e-Planning laboratory, in other words, do we need ‘dedicated places’ to experiment/learn about how to connect scientific and lay knowledge through digital analytical tools?; and to discuss professional approaches and standards for ethical e-planning practices.
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[Note: The list of tracks & themes has (inevitably) overlaps. For instance, the theme of planning ethics can be included in several of the tracks listed. We opted to mention it explicitly only in track 9. The theme ‘planning ethics’ can be addressed in papers to be included in one of the other tracks. The same with other issues referred in the list.]