▶ Watch Conference Video

Urban Regeneration is the rehabilitation of land areas that are subject to high-density urban land use. It is a strategy that aims to transform and renovate areas to be upgraded in housing, public and private buildings, infrastructure, and services. Urban regeneration is an effective way to improve urban performance by targeting areas with high rates of poverty, pollution, and congestion, leading to a complete economic and regional development of the area. It has only been proven to be successful when sustained which is why urban regeneration and the concept of sustainability completely go hand in hand.

The upcoming 4th edition of the International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability will be held online in collaboration with the Department of Architecture, Polytechnic School University of Palermo, Italy. This edition will thoroughly address and discuss urban regeneration, by rendering it as a process and strategy that aims to transform and renovate areas, in hopes of upgrading housing, and public buildings, private buildings, infrastructure, and services. It can also be considered a highly efficient way to improve urban performance, by targeting numerous areas and taking their economic levels and developments into consideration.

Nowadays, the process of urbanization continues to create many problems deriving from the continuous migration of more populations towards already highly populated cities. Resolving these issues is possible by turning them into efficient habitats, and saving resources in a way that improves the standard of living. The process, however, faces several major challenges related to reducing pollution and improving main transportation and infrastructure systems. New urban solutions are required to optimize the use of space and energy resources leading to improvements in the environment, i.e., reduction in air, water, and soil pollution as well as efficient ways to deal with waste generation. These challenges contribute to the development of social and economic disproportions and require the development of new solutions.

The level of difficulty in managing such problems differs from one city to the other depending on several variables which mainly include the size of said cities. However, despite such complexity, they offer a generative ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists, and other professionals with the ability to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements.

And so, through this conference, we hope to provide a suitable setting for a general debate and discussion between researchers and audience members to help everyone understand the importance of addressing the challenges that have recently increased with the rapid growth of urbanization and how to solve them efficiently.

Scope

The 4th edition of the “Urban Regeneration and Sustainability (URS)” conference will stimulate discussion concerning the topic of sustainable practice and regenerative techniques within cities. Urbanism is the most common mode of life in major cities, and extensive analysis is pertinent to our environment’s safety and continuity. The conference addresses multiple facets of urbanism and the city, discussing novel urbanism design ideas, principles of urban regeneration, sustainable practices in urban planning & design, and the utilization of technology in the regeneration process. URS covers a vast array of topics that concern urban regeneration, prioritizing sustainable design methods in urban planning, incorporation of greenery and lush forestry, and human livability and well-being.

Statement of Purpose

URS aims to unite researchers, architects, urban planners, and practitioners in the field of urban planning, to bring about gainful discussion on urban regeneration and sustainability concepts in urban design. The conference will raise awareness of modern techniques of urban regeneration concepts and sustainable urban planning methods, that aim to uplift deteriorating urban areas. Furthermore, URS aims to enrich human livability in urban areas, whilst ensuring environmental safety by highlighting topics such as green infrastructure, transportation planning, and livable communities.

The Opening Ceremony started with online registration and welcoming speeches from the Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University, Prof. Ghassan Aouad, Prof. Montasir Qasymeh, Professor & Associate Provost for Research and Academic Development at Abu Dhabi University and IEREK’s founder, Dr. Mourad Amer.

Short welcoming speeches were given by the conference chairs Dr. Mohamed ElKaftangui, Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture and Interior Design, Abu Dhabi University, Dr. Zafar Said, Associate Professor at the Department of Sustainable Renewable Energy Engineering University of Sharjah, Prof. Paolo Caratelli, Professor, Program Leader of Interior Design, Head of Research at Istituto Marangoni, Prof. Osama Mohamed, Professor of Civil Engineering, Chair of Architecture Department, Abu Dhabi University and A welcoming word by Dr. Mourad Amer, CEO of IEREK.

Following the speeches, a brief presentation was given that introduced IEREK as a company and its activities to the audience.

Following session the welcoming notes, a lunch break was issued.

Plenary sessions:

A plenary session followed introducing the keynote speakers Dr. Nabil Ibrahim Mohareb, Dr. Zafar Said, Prof. Francesco Fioretto and Mr. Scott Jewett.

Following the keynote speeches, parallel sessions 1, 2, 3 and 4 took place.

The First Session of the conference titled “Technology and Sustainability: Architectural Design and Urban Planning” was moderated by Dr. Rim Meziani, Dr. Fatmaelzahraa Hussein and Ms. Anamika Mishra.

The Second Session of the conference titled “Sustainable Materials & Techniques” was moderated by Dr. Manish Kewalramani.

The Third Session of the conference titled “Engineering Technologies and Fabrication Techniques” was moderated by Prof. Evgeny Barkanov, Dr. Khaled Al-Aribe, and Dr. Mostafa Rashed.

The Fourth Session of the conference titled “Art, Creativity, Interior Design, Fashion and Media Production” was moderated by Prof. Paolo Caratelli, Dr. Ahmed Abdelaziz Elshakhs, and Ms. Irina An.

As the sessions went on, multiple authors presented their research in person and online, taking questions from the audience, and answering them as best they could.

After a discussion and a Questions and Answers session, the first conference day ended with a Panel session where final remarks and feedback were discussed.

Day 2:

The second day started with the online registration then a welcome speech was given by the conference Co-chair, Dr. Ihsanullah Obaidullah, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Water Desalination Engineering Program, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, followed by our keynote speakers Dr. Nadia Charalambous, Associate Professor, at the Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus, Mr. Raza Jafri who is the Founder & CEO of MetaWorldX, Tech Entrepreneur, Speaker and Advisor, Dr. Mark David Major, Associate Professor at Department of Architecture and Design, College of Engineering, Abu Dhabi University, Prof. Alexandra Delgado Jimenez, Professor at Nebrija University, Higher Polytechnic School, Madrid, Spain and Dr. Tarek Teba, Associate Professor in Architectural Heritage, Portsmouth School of Architecture, University of Portsmouth, UK.

Following the keynote speech, parallel sessions 5 ,6, 7, 8 and 9 took place.

The Fifth Session of the conference titled “Sustainable Urban Futures: Innovations in Architecture, Energy, and Wellbeing” was moderated by Prof. Lucia Martincigh and Dr.

Rania Obead.

The Sixth Session of the conference titled “Enhancing Urban Sustainability: Policies, Planning & Performance” was moderated by Dr. Apostolos Kyriazis, Dr. Nadia Mounajjed and Dr. Nand Kumar.

The Seventh Session of the conference titled “Renewable Energy, Environmental Integration and Impacts” was moderated by Dr.  Dr. Sofiah Hamzah and Dr. Saher Javaid.

The Eighth Session of the conference titled “Towards Sustainable Living: Green Solutions & Technologies” was moderated by Dr. Mohamed El Amrousi and Dr. Mark David Major.

The Ninth Session of the conference titled “Sustainable Design and Construction: From Concrete Innovations to Biomimetic Architectural Solutions” was moderated by Prof. Osama Mohamed.

 As the sessions went on, multiple authors presented their research in person and online, taking questions from the audience, and answering them as best they could.

After a discussion and a Questions and Answers session, second conference day ended with a Panel session where final remarks and feedback were discussed.

Day 3:

The final day of the EDMSET 2024, started with a workshop by Dr. Nabil Mohareb, Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture, American University in Cairo, Egypt titled “The Dynamics of Motion: Decoding Movement in Urban Open Spaces through Simulation”

This workshop explored dynamic movement within urban open spaces, employing advanced spatial configurational analysis to understand and simulate the intricate patterns of motion that define our interactions with the urban environment. "The Dynamics of Motion" workshop was designed to provide participants with methodologies and applications of movement analysis in urban planning and design, focusing on simulating pedestrian behavior to inform more effective and responsive urban spaces.

Wrapping up, final remarks, and a closing ceremony were held.