Thematic tracks

The hidden potential: untapping the benefits of urban transformations

Recent research by the JRC confirms that “the untapped / hidden benefits of environmental policies are huge” and continues to move in the direction already traced by IEA years ago, by showcasing and placing monetary values on “the added benefits to our health, society and the economy that environmental investments and policy linked to energy efficiency can bring”. The message is clear: urban transformation projects go way beyond energy efficiency. So why are we still focusing only on energy efficiency, while house owners, investors or local politicians are looking for other types of benefits? How to leverage public and private investments being trustworthy and convincing? Can we address multiple benefits to tell the story from different perspectives? How to frame the multiple benefits discourses into the UN’s SDGs framework and attract impact investments in cities, made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social economic and financial return alongside with environmental strategies?

We are particularly interested in contributions focused on:

• From outcomes to impacts: estimate and assessment methodologies for the SDG framework
• Smart and climate neutral districts: quantify and measure the monetary value of impacts, from a policy and investor standpoint
• Risk and uncertainty assessment in projects appraisal, form social complexity to unexpected global health crisis;
• The value of proximity, innovative public spaces and services in the 15 minute city
• Creative reuse of buildings and public spaces: a new frontier for investors and spatial policies moving from demonstration projects to large scale investments, how attracting investment funds and big fishes?
• Social value in smart cities
• Multiple impacts of positive energy districts
• Profitability of smart city projects, is it worth it?

Track coordinator: Adriano Bisello (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy)

Potential journal publication: to be confirmed (see also Special Sessions for specific journals)

Download all abstracts of Track2

Tackling what remains to be done: environmental sustainability in cities and regions

The urban form determines the interactions between human and economic activities, increasingly concentrated in cities, and the environment. The unique opportunities offered by cities in tackling climate change and in mitigating environmental impacts associated with our activities, have been consistently highlighted in the last decades. However, the complex dynamics of urban systems need innovative, integrated, multi-sectorial and multi-scalar tools to model and estimate environmental impacts. A diversity of concepts and tools, such as urban metabolism, circular economy, life-cycle assessment and material flow analysis have been increasingly applied in this context. It is time to discuss the most recent advancements and next steps to achieve, in the short term, high-impact and effective solutions, to support decision-making towards an environmentally sustainable and healthy urban future.

We are particularly interested in contributions focused on:

• Urban and regional environmental sustainability,
• Advances in the environmental impact assessment of urban and regional systems (e.g., addressing built environment, bioeconomy, mobility),
• Innovative approaches integrating urban metabolism, life-cycle assessment (LCA) and/or material flow analysis (MFA),
• Environmental indicators for urban and regional areas,
• Circular economy at urban and regional scales

Track coordinator: Joana Bastos (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy)

Potential journal publication: to be confirmed (see also Special Sessions for specific journals)

Download all abstracts of Track3

Strengthening democracy in the energy transition

Energy democracy is a concept that recognises that the transformation of energy systems and infrastructures is more than a technological exercise, but that it is inherently linked to social changes and facets, by especially promoting the strengthening of democratic processes and public participation. Various approaches and processes are assumed to positively affect the overall sustainability of energy transition process, contributing to its fairness, by contrasting vulnerabilities and poverty. Energy democracy can take shape regarding for example the participation of civil society movements, forms of social entrepreneurship, or collective and community energy initiatives and deliberative participation. What is missing from the current debate is a clear connection between studies of democracy and forms of energy democracy. By linking the scientific and practical knowledge of these two fields, we can gain a better understanding of how a renewed democracy can help shaping a just energy transition.

We welcome contribution presenting: approaches to analyse energy democracy considering several disciplines such as sociology, law, and anthropology; experiences, laboratories, communities of energy democracy.

Topics of interest include but not limited to:

• Energy communities and energy democracy initiatives
• Energy governance
• Studies on democracy
• Digitalisation and democracy
• Sociological contribution to the energy transition
• Just energy transition
• Socio-technical and socio-ecological transformations
• Energy vulnerabilities

Track coordinators: Jessica Balest, Silvia Tomasi, Sonia Gantioler (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy)

Potential journal publication: to be confirmed (see also Special Sessions for specific journals)

Download all abstracts of Track4

Leave no place behind: policy making for smart and sustainable regions

Digitalisation, globalisation, demographic and environmental changes are radically changing our societies and economies. They are affecting regions in different ways, creating new opportunities and challenges. Tackling these challenges, while improving the well-being of people and promoting socio-ecological transition, requires deep systemic transformations.

By referring to the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3)  – the main policy tools for achieving “No one left behind, evidence-based policy making in the Regions” – and the OECD conceptualization of well-being, this track aims to explore the relationships between smart specialisation and different dimensions of well-being including the contribution of smart specialisation to the social, environmental and physical dimensions of well-being mainly at rural, local and regional levels.

We welcome contribution presenting theoretical innovative concepts, groundbreaking strategies, forward-looking policy approach, measurements tools as well as best practices in the area of smart regions and regional well-being.

Topics of interest include but not limited to:

• Sustainable smart specialization strategies,
• Rural-urban partnership and interlinkages for smart development,
• Cross- & interregional development,
• Technological-driven approaches in the access to services, opportunities and infrastructure,
• Service of general interest,
• Resilient and Adaptive Capacity,
• Ego-to-Eco Shift,
• Transformational Change,
• Socio-ecological transition and sustainable use of rural resources,
• Socio-spatial inequalities; Social capital, social inclusion and trust,
• Social innovations and community led local development (CLLD)
• Environmental quality,
• Human-Wildlife Coexistence,
• Tangible and intangible cultural heritage

Track coordinator: Elisa Ravazzoli (Eurac Research, Institute for Regional Development)

Potential journal publication: to be confirmed (see also Special Sessions for specific journals)

Download all abstracts of Track5

Planning for ever-changing mobility: mind the gap!

Transport networks in cities are close to the breaking point. Innovative ideas are emerging, but some of the new mobility modes that were supposed to fix fundamental issues, such as traffic congestion or air pollution, and improve quality of life are instead compounding these problems or creating new headaches for city planners (discarded shared bicycles clogging up already busy city streets, electric scooters on sidewalks following pedestrian collisions and fatalities, etc.).

Cities and metropolitan regions urgently need an orchestrator to bring order to the transport chaos, by developing an understanding of the complexity and fast transformation of urban mobility, learning from international best practices and big failures (including how pandemic has dramatically changed users’ transportation choices), sharing knowledge on how integrating private players into the public system, and developing needed infrastructure (e-charging systems, multimodal hubs, last mile logistic services, etc.).

We are particularly interested in contributions focused on:

• Optimisation of mobility infrastructures for the transition to electric and connected autonomous vehicles,
• Policies for smart mobility and automated vehicles,
• Urban walkability and 15 min cities,
• Last mile clean logistic and smart goods delivery,
• Mobility fleet conversion and e-retrofit of vehicles

Track coordinator: Alyona Zubaryeva (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy)

Potential journal publication: to be confirmed (see also Special Sessions for specific journals)

Download all abstracts of Track6

Discover the internet of cities: from data to knowledge

The use of sensing and data technologies have become a driving force for implementing vital innovation in smart and sustainable planning for cities and regions. Digital transformation along with social-economic actions are essential responses to increasing urbanization and population growth with an aim to improve citizen well-being. With the boost of sensing solutions, storage and processing capacities, the digitalization of cities and regions opens a unique opportunity for obtaining valuable insights into Big Data and exploiting this knowledge for decision-making.

This thematic area aims at addressing the aspects of data management for various applications for cities and regions and underlines the importance of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles when dealing with data. Within this section we will explore data life cycle for Smart Cities from data collection to maintenance, analysis, usage, publishing, archiving, and purging.

We are particularly interested in contributions focused on:

• Spatial Data Infrastructure for Smart Cities services,
• Implementation of FAIR Data principles,
• Big Data Management for Smart Cities,
• Novel sensing application,
• IoT data integration for Smart Cities,
• Open Data Repositories and Data Hubs (organisation and stewardship)
• Knowledge modeling

Track coordinators: Roberto Monsorno (Eurac Research, Center for Sensing Solutions), Valentina D’Alonzo (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy)

Potential journal publication: to be confirmed (see also Special Sessions for specific journals)

Download all abstracts of Track7