Overview CITAA “Cities’ Identity Through Architecture and Arts” 2021

The fifth edition of the International Conference on “Cities’ Identity Through Architecture and Arts” was held virtually in collaboration with the University of Pisa in Italy on the 13th and 14th of December due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The Conference discussed several topics regarding different vocabularies, such as sacred architecture, heritage buildings, open spaces, landmarks, street escapes, etc.

The Conference topics attracted scientists, architects, cultural preservation enthusiasts, and researchers to discuss their papers and come up with possible solutions to solve the problems of the identity of cities.

Among the main topics discussed in the Conference:

1. Identifying and Shaping Cities and Formation
2. Heritage Arts: Sustainability, Identities, and Public Regulations
3. Contemporary Arts: City Visual Arts and Visualization
4. Development of the Cities’ Vocabularies

 Day 1:

Welcoming Session:

The Opening Ceremony started with the online registration and welcoming speeches from the Conference Chair and IEREK founder.

A Presentation about IEREK followed, introducing IEREK and its activities to the audience.

Following this introduction, short welcoming speeches were given by the Conference Chair, Professor Luca Lanini, University of Pisa, Architectural and Urban Design, and Prof. Ferdinando Trapani, Professor of Urban Planning, Department of Architecture, University of Palermo; Coordinator of the Italian Academic Alliance with IEREK.

Plenary session:

A plenary session followed, introducing the first keynote speaker, Professor Federico Bilò, Ph.D. (VII cycle), and Associate Professor of Architectural and Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture in Pescara, whose speech was entitled: “Portraying and interpreting the city: two case studies.” Afterwards, the second keynote speaker, Professor Claudia Sansò, Ph.D. in Architectural and Urban Composition at the DiARC, University of Naples Federico II, whose speech was entitled: “Forma Urbis / Imago Urbis. Cities' identity through sacred space,” was introduced.

After the keynote speech, was the First Session of the Conference entitled: “City Formation and Identification.” The session was moderated by Professor Laura Terrone, Architect and Ph.D. student at Sapienza University of Rome; Professor Michele Pellino, Architect and Ph.D. student at Sapienza University of Rome and member of the “StandardF-AU Research Group” of the University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli,” and Professor Giada Bartolini, Ph.D. student in Construction Engineering at the Department of Energy, System, Territory, and Construction Engineering at Pisa University.

Day 2:

The second day of the conference started with the speech of the remaining keynote speaker, Professor Federica Morgia, Architect, Associate Professor, and Ph.D. in Architectural and Urban Design, entitled: “Rome. A Palimpsest of Identities between Past and Future.”

After the keynote speech, the Second Session started and was moderated by Professor Nabil Mohareb, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt, and Professor Nicola Cavalagli, Researcher, PhD. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia. The Second Session discussed five presentations before a short break.

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

Every city has its valuable and unique identity that is revealed through its physical and visual form. It is seen through the eyes of its residents and users where the collective memories of their residents and users are being shaped. The robust identity of the city comprises the physical spaces and the images that were shaped through clues of memory, which in turn affect the tourism, education level, cultural level & economic prosperity in addition to other aspects.

Cities' identities are constructed and developed over the time, from physical, cultural and sociological perspective the identities are incessantly evolving. This conference will discuss how Architecture and Arts are the embodiment of the historical, cultural, and economical characteristics of the city. It presents how cities' memories play a vital role in protecting the physical and nonphysical heritage of the city. The research presented in this conference will make sense of the transformation of cities and urban cultures, and investigates different new approaches developed in, both, Contemporary Arts and Architecture.

This conference will present how citizens see their cities and how they physically or mentally compare it with the ideal city in their own perceptions. However, a city's identity presents distinguishing factors that make it unique and unlike any other. It covers a huge variety of topics such as the conservation of the cultures and the identity of the city through the designing and planning processes. It discusses the different ideologies, approaches of a more sustainable city, and investigates the different approaches developed in Architecture and Contemporary art.

In this context, IEREK organizes this online conference to discuss several topics regarding different vocabularies. For instance, the sacred architecture, heritage buildings, open spaces, landmarks, the street escapes, etc.; all of them have direct influences at the cities' form. The cities' form also receives the indirect impact from the citizens themselves, such as their culture that accordingly depends on the art, which could be seen and embodied through moral, painting, media, digital art, and sculpture. It then discusses the fundamental elements that have the full resilience and responsibility of the identity of the cities.

This conference also welcomes research papers that includes different case studies that present many solutions of activating the concept of the responsibility of architecture and arts on the development of our cities. It is an important initiative, which presents a new approach that depends on the available features of cities and how planners and decision makers use these resources of the cities' features as the thread tip in solving the urban problems that our cities are facing.

• 1. Identifying and Shaping Cities and formation

  1-1 Cities with Religious and Cultural Theme

  1-2 City Structure, Features, and Elements

  1-3 The City's Image and Self-Identity

  1-4 Transition to Smart and Cities: Structure and Transformation

  1-5 Advances in Technologies of City Planning and Development

  1-6 Urban Growth, Morphology, and its Impact on Cities Identity

  1-7 New Development in Urban Design and Shaping the City and its Culture

  1-8 The Influences of City Elements and Vocabularies in the City Form and Development

• 2. Heritage Arts: Sustainability, Identities and Public Regulations

  2-1 Cultural Heritage Protection Conservation and Reuse

  2-2 Ideologies and Movements: Shaping the City and its History

  2-3 Visuals Arts Role in Documenting Architectural Heritage

  2-4 Branding the City Heritage Identities and Sustainable Heritage

  2-5 Public Regulations and Efforts in Heritage Conservation

  2-6 Mapping Cities Vocabularies: Ecological Approach of Conservation Projects

  2-7 The Correlation between Architecture and Arts and Conservation of Cities Vocabularies

  2-8 The Role of Heritage Sites in Driving the City Fabrics

• 3. Contemporary Arts: City Visual Arts and Visualization

  3-1 Visuals in Architectural Heritage in Modern Era

  3-2 Future of Our Past: Archeology is Yesterday's Visual Arts for today

  3-3 Visual Arts Role in Documenting Architectural Heritage

  3-4 Art, Music, Interaction Visualization Media and its Impact on Human

  3-5 The Dialogue between Ancient and Contemporary Visuals

  3-6 Cultural Spaces and Landscapes in Contemporary Arts

  3-7 Artistic Heritages and its Impact on Contemporary Arts

  3-8 Contemporary Art in Reviving Modern and Historical Cities

• 4. Development of Cities’ vocabularies

  4-1 Planning for Sustainable Context of Re-discovering Heritage Vocabularies

  4-2 The Future of Cities Art, Architecture, and Historical Cities

  4-3 Architecture and Arts in Cultural Transformation Age

  4-4 Shaping and Transformation of Successful Case Studies

  4-5 Policies and Guidelines for Planning and Transformation of Cities

  4-6 Best Practices for Dealing with Historical Areas and Buildings

  4-7 Historic Conservation and Economic Plans for Sustainable Tourism

  4-8 Cultural Spaces Development and Landscapes in Contemporary Arts

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.

Publishing in ASTI by Springer (Scopus indexed)                  

After the conference, the submitted manuscripts of authors interested in publishing in the ASTI book series will undergo a rigorous peer review process resulting in a final decision made by the editors. Only accepted research will be published as a chapter in the Book Series entitled “Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation” (ASTI) by Springer. The ASTI Book Series is by managed highly professional members of an International Editorial Board to ensure high-quality material for online publication.

The ASTI Book Series is fully indexed in Scopus. Some titles have been successfully indexed or submitted for indexation in Web of Science (ISI).

About the ASTI series

Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation (ASTI) is a series of peer-reviewed books based on important emerging research that redefines the current disciplinary boundaries in science, technology and innovation (STI) in order to develop integrated concepts for sustainable development. It not only discusses the progress made towards securing more resources, allocating smarter solutions, and rebalancing the relationship between nature and people, but also provides in-depth insights from comprehensive research that addresses the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) as set out by the UN for 2030.

The series draws on the best research papers from various IEREK and other international conferences to promote the creation and development of viable solutions for a sustainable future and a positive societal transformation with the help of integrated and innovative science-based approaches. Including interdisciplinary contributions, it presents innovative approaches and highlights how they can best support both economic and sustainable development, through better use of data, more effective institutions, and global, local and individual action, for the welfare of all societies.

The series particularly features conceptual and empirical contributions from various interrelated fields of science, technology and innovation, with an emphasis on digital transformation, that focus on providing practical solutions to ensure food, water and energy security to achieve the SDGs. It also presents new case studies offering concrete examples of how to resolve sustainable urbanization and environmental issues in different regions of the world.

The series is intended for professionals in research and teaching, consultancies and industry, and government and international organizations. Published in collaboration with IEREK, the Springer ASTI series will acquaint readers with essential new studies in STI for sustainable development.

About Springer:

Springer is a leading global scientific, technical and medical portfolio, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R&D departments with quality content through innovative information, products and services. Springer has one of the strongest STM and HSS eBook collections and archives, as well as a comprehensive range of hybrid and open access journals. Springer is part of Springer Nature, a global publisher that serves and supports the research community. Springer Nature aims to advance discovery by publishing robust and insightful science, supporting the development of new areas of research and making ideas and knowledge accessible around the world. As part of Springer Nature, Springer sits alongside other trusted brands like Nature Research, BioMed Central, and Palgrave Macmillan.

Click on the below image to learn more about the editors

Publishing in ARChive by IEREK Press                                  

ARChive is an open access journal that publishes conference proceedings in a wide range of topics and across all scientific disciplines, from Sciences, Engineering and Technology to Environment, Energy and Earth Sciences. Consequently, it accepts original research papers in a wide spectrum of subjects. ARChive is a journal published on behalf of researchers that perpetually make an effort to contribute to their fields and provides them with a high visibility of research submitted. The series publishes, both, theoretical and experimental high quality papers of current and perpetual interest. It serves to cultivate, propagate, and essentially archive academic research that has been authored and submitted for academic conferences.

ARChive welcomes diverse approaches to innovative ideas that could potentially be a breakthrough in a particular field of study. To provide permanent archiving, ARChive is archived in the collaborative digital preservation archiving systems in LOCKSS, as they provide access to permanent and authorized digital content for electronic scholarly journals.

In accordance with the definition of open access journal provided by BOAI, ARChive is a model of the fully open journal that allows global open access to its content which is freely available without charge to users and institutions. They are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose for non-commercial use, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.