The Cities’ Identity Through Architecture and Arts (CITAA) Conference, which was held in association with the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, started on May 11th, 2017 and included many discussions and covered extremely important topics. It was a very successful conference that Cannot be forgotten.

The International Conference was held in Fairmont Nile City Hotel – Cairo, Egypt and was chaired by Prof. Safia El Kabany (Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University) and organized by IEREK.

The opening session started with a welcoming word from Prof. Safia El Kabany (Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University), Prof. Khaled Abd El-Ghaffar, Minster of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Maged Negm, Acting President, Helwan University, Eng. Mohamed Abo Seada, Chairman of the National Organization for Urban Harmony, Prof. Mahmoud Ghoneem, CITAA Secretary General & Guest Editor, Associate Professor of Architecture, Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Dr. Abd ElAziz Saqr, General Director of IEREK.

It was shortly followed by honoring ceremony, a special honorarium was made for:

The Egyptian & International Architect Prof. Hassan Fathy

The Egyptian & International Sculptor Prof. Gamal El-Sagini

Moving on to the conference sessions which was led and moderated by great and reputable professors and professional personnel who were of great help in organizing this conference and its sessions. The sessions were preceded by a “Keynote Speak” from the Keynote Speakers. The lectures titled “City, identity and globalization”, Barcelona, Identity and Architecture: 25 years, 3 scales, 1 lesson” and Publish Ethics.

The Conference Keynote Speakers were:

Prof. Nabil Khelefi, Manager of the middle east and north Africa, Springer

Prof. Hocine Boudgah, Professor of Architectural Technology; Canterbury School of Architecture, University for the Creative Arts, UK

Prof. Adolf Sotoca, Professor at the School of Architecture at UPC, Barcelona TECH, Spain

Architect. Seifallah Abo ElNaga, Head of Egyptian Architects Association

Dr. Rasem Badran, The Urban thread and the urban threat. (Narratives of place and people)

Prof. Chris Watts, Professor Emeritus, Department of Fine Arts, Washington State University

The sessions and discussions were:

The 1^st session which was led and moderated by Elsayed Kandil / Ahmed Hanno / Ashraf Abdel Fattah/ Maha Al-Senan

Its topic was Graphic and was held at the Magnolia & Jade Hall.

The 2^nd session which was led and moderated by Adolf Sotoca / Iman Gawad / Ferdinando Trapani Its topic was Architecture and was held at Lavender & Lime Hall.

The 3^rd session which was led and moderated by Rasem Badran / Amal Abdou / Mahmoud Ghoneem

 Its topic was Architecture and was held at Scarlet & Maroon Hall.

The second conference day

The 4th session which was at the second conference day and was led and moderated by Mohamed Orabi / Emad Rizk / Hasan Abdel Fatah / Badr Eldin Awad / Rania El Hossary/ Nihad Khedr / Vallery Beheiry/ Magda Seddik / Ahmed Radwan   

Its topic was History & Art and Architecture and was held at Magnolia & Jade Hall.

The 5^th session which was led and moderated by Adolf Sotoca / Wael Youssef / Ahmed Hosni / Maha Farid / Ehab Ezzat / Mohamed Soliman/ M. Mekawy / Suzan Tantawi / Ashraf Reda  

 Its topic was Architecture & Interior and was held at Lavender & Lime Hall.

The 6^th session which was led and moderated by Hocine Bougdah / Mahmoud Ghoneem / Eman Elnachar / Iman Gawad / Ahmed Elewa

 Its topic was Architecture and was held at Scarlet & Maroon Hall.

The third conference day

The 7^th session which was led and moderated by Amal Abdou / Iman Gawad Its topic was Architecture and was held at Lavender & Lime Hall.

The closing ceremony was by Prof. Safia El Kabany, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Prof. Rania El Hossary, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Prof. Mahmoud Ghoneem, CITAA Secretary General / Guest Editor, Assistant Professor in Architecture at Helwan University, Dr. Abd ElAziz Saqr, General Director of IEREK

The conference also contained and entertainment program for our participants and guests which were as follows:

• Nile Cruise Trip on the MS Scarabée Cruise at the first day of the conference.
• Opera Show in the Cairo Opera House + Gala Dinner at the second day of the conference.
• Beginning of Visits to the oldest parts of Cairo, Egypt at the third day of the conference.
• Departure to Mui’zz li-Din Allah St. and Sultan Al-Ghuri Complex

Cities’ Identity became a pressing issue for many countries nowadays. Every city has its unique and valuable identity, this identity is revealed through its physical and visual form, it is seen through the eyes of its residents and citizens. The city develops over time, and its identity evolves with it. Reflecting the rapid and constant changes the city is subjected to, Architecture and Arts are the embodiment of the cultural, historical, and economic characteristics of the city.Urban Identities: the conference will present & discuss examples and tendencies in dealing with urban identities as well as the transformation of cities and urban cultures mentioned in terms of their form, identity, and their current art.

Contemporary art when subjected to experiments, continues to be produced in various directions, to be consumed and to put forward new ideas. Art continuously renews itself -from new materials to different means of communication, from interactive works to computer games, from new approaches to perceptional paradigms and problems of city and nature of the millennium.

This conference is dedicated to the investigation of the different new approaches developed in Architecture and Contemporary arts. It will focus on the basis of urban life and identities. The Conference also will display how citizens look at their city and how it is in a physical or mental manner compared, by them, with the ideal city by their own perception. Moreover, the city’s identity presents distinctive aspects that clarify its uniqueness and distinguished from any other city.

IEREK aims with this conference to offer the researches from different perspectives and views how Architecture and Contemporary arts are developed. Also, IEREK aims to emphasize on the basis of urban development and identities as well as investigate the various approaches made in the field of both Architecture and Contemporary Arts.
he Conference will be held in a Venue that combines both Architecture and Contemporary Arts, the Cairo Opera House in Cairo, Egypt.

1. 1. Architectural Identity And Globalization.

   • Artistic Heritage and its Impact on Contemporary Arts.
   • Art and Cultural Identity.
   • The Correlation Between Architecture and Arts.
   • Artistic Identity in Globalization Context.
   • Architecture and Arts in Cultural Transformation Age.
   • Planning and Development for Maintaining and Reviving the Historical Areas.
   • Analysis of the city’s Planning and Aesthetics Design (Morphology -Spaces and Aesthetics).

2. 2. City As A Scene.

   • Urban Form and Art.
   • The City’s Image and Self-Identity.
   • Spaces in Contemporary Arts.
   • Landscape in History and Arts.
   • The Importance of the City and its Users.
   • Religion and Culture: Creating Cities.
   

3. 3. City As Organism.

   • Urban Growth and Controlling Urban Sprawl.
   • Urban Morphology and Urban Regeneration.
   • Slums and Urban Fringe Belts.
   • Urban Aesthetics and New Developments in Urban Design.

4. 4. City As A Subject.

   • Cities and their Psychology.
   • Contemporary Art in Modern and Historical cities.
   • Re-Imagining Cities.
   • History of Future Cities, & the Future of Historical Cities.
   • Retrofitting of historical buildings.
   • Human Interaction& Experience with the City.
   • Culture Tradition, & History: Developing Cities.
   

5. 5. Planning & Approaching The City.

   • Cities & Sustainable Transformations.
   • Smart & Future Cities.
   • Urban Morphology: Shaping the City and its Culture.
   • Ideologies & Movements: Shaping the City and its History.
   • Multicultural and Interdisciplinary Approaches.
   • Conservation of Architectural and Historical Cities.
   • Policies & Guidelines and how Communities are developed. 
   

Once an abstract is submitted, it will be sent to the reviewers' committee to go through the revision process:

• Elementary Review:

Once an abstract has been submitted to our website, it is assigned for review by the reviewers using the abstract review sheet and validation of publication. This is based on four criteria:

· Accepted for publication (with minor editing changes).

· Conditionally accepted for publication (with revisions provided to authors).

· Rejected but encouraged for re-submission with major modifications.

· Rejected as inappropriate or unworthy of publication in this certain conference.

The criteria for accepting abstracts for the conference are as follows; a relevant topic of the conference should be proposed with clear writing, aims, and objectives of the study clearly presented, as well as a sound literature and methodology of the work.

• First Acceptance:

Authors will receive a notification message to know the feedback of the reviewers' committee. If an author receives the acceptance of his or her abstract, he or she has to continue writing the full-length paper using the requested templates.

• Uploading Full-Length Paper:

Authors who are allowed to upload their full-length paper(s) should use the same account details to upload their full paper(s).

• Second Acceptance:

The final paper will proceed to the primary revision to be checked if it meets the conference proceedings standards. Once it gets accepted, the author of the paper will be informed to pay the fees so that it could be sent for the final revision by the scientific committee.

• Payment:

In this step, and to proceed paper(s) that passed to the final revision process and to get the final approval, authors have to pay the requested fees. Otherwise, the final revision process will not be considered for their papers.

• Inspections and Final Approval of Full Papers:

Those with full papers and who have paid the requested fees will get finally inspected, either scientifically or linguistically. There will be a rigorous review process of full papers following the previous process according to the following criteria:

(1) Is the topic relevant to the conference?

(2) Are the writing and structure clear?

(3) Are graphics, photos, illustrations used where needed?

(4) Are the aims of the study clearly stated?

(5) Are the objectives of the study achieved?

(6) Is the literature review relevant and adequate?

(7) Has the author used an appropriate methodology and has it been clearly explained?

(8) Has the author interpreted the findings correctly?

(9) Is the paper a significant contribution to the field?

These are the registration and revision procedures for publication that all authors should follow.

Register Now! 

Download Instructions and Template Formats!  

Abstracts should clearly state the purpose, results, and conclusions of the work to be described in the final paper. 

After you have received the acceptance of your abstract, please continue to write your full paper with the requested template (please download).

Conference’s participants from around the world may use below location from google maps to get the right directions to the Fairmont Nile City Hotel

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 a 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 proceedings book in both hard and soft copies. Extras can be requested for a fee shown below.

 Foreigner Fees:

• • Once an acceptance letter has been issued, this means that the proceedings book is already in the publishing process and a refund will not be possible.
  • In case your visa got rejected or if you were not able to get a security clearance for travel:
    • You are required to provide us with the rejection letter from the embassy/consulate or the office responsible for security clearances and in that case, you may choose to let your co-author present your research on your behalf free of charge, without having to pay an attendance fee. If you do not have a co-author, we will assign a member of the scientific committee to present on your behalf.
    • If you, as an author, and your co-author are both attending the conference, your co-author will be required to pay an attendance fee.
  • Kindly note that once you have uploaded your Abstract or Full Paper, this means you are accepting its publishing on IEREK, accordingly, your submission will only be removed from our website according to the following policy:
    • If the Abstract or Full Paper was rejected by the reviewing committee, no penalties or payments are needed to be paid.
    • In case the Abstract was accepted or you received the Preliminary Acceptance of your full paper, this means that an effort was done by the reviewing committee in the revision process and by IEREK staff members so removal of your Abstract / Paper from the website, will not be possible unless the revision fees are paid as follows:
      • For an Abstract: $50
      • For a Full Paper: $150

      For Egyptians who wish to withdraw an Abstract or Full Paper, the revision fees are paid as follows:

      • For an Abstract: EGP 200
      • For a Full Paper: EGP 700
    • This policy is used to ensure the commitment and the seriousness of an author when his/ her paper is accepted to complete his/her registration and not be limited to only getting the acceptance.
    • As a research institute that encourages the propagation of peer-reviewed, research-based manuscripts, all authors must understand the gravity and seriousness of the publication process and be fully committed to it.

An author having more than one paper will enjoy 40% discount on the second paper, this applies only on conference fees excluding publications

• You will receive a full refund if you send your request 45 days before the event, in that case, only a 20 percent transaction fee will be deducted.
• If you request a refund after the 45 days period, you will only get approval in the case that your visa has been rejected and you have submitted the rejection letter itself. According to the reason of rejection from the embassy or consulate, the amount of money refunded back to you will be determined based on the following:
  • If the rejection reason stated that the rejection was the applicant’s fault for not submitting the required documents to receive a visa, an administrative fee will be deducted from the amount refunded back to the applicant ONLY if he/she sends the request before the event as no refunds are allowed after the given date.
  • If the rejection reason was decided for reasons that the applicant cannot be accounted for, a refund will be allowed with the 20 percent transaction fees deducted.
• Please note that IEREK is only responsible for providing applicants with visa invitation letters that will help ease the process of receiving the visa but is not responsible for the approval or rejection of applicants who apply for visas.