Climate change is a widespread and ongoing issue that is threatening our existence more and more every day and is reflected in matters such as global warming and food and water scarcity. Human activities have become the main factor at play when it comes to the rapid deterioration of our environment, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels which consequently produces heat-trapping gases when burned.

Besides threatening life on earth for humans and all of biodiversity, these environmental changes affect human health, causing physical and even psychological conditions such as asthma, renal failure, pre-term birth and anxiety-related response or disorders. There are ongoing efforts to decrease the rate of our climate’s deterioration such as attempting to use renewable energy rather than fossil fuels and opting for more green alternatives in general and not just in regards to fuels.

In an effort to keep to conversation going, IEREK is planning its 3^rd international conference on "Health & Environmental Resilience and Livability in Cities (HERL)", which is a chance for scientists and researchers from around to globe to come together and excavate solutions for the ongoing and recent environmental threats. IEREK welcomes participants of various backgrounds and offers them the opportunity to publish in Scopus-indexed ASTI book series by Springer. The proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Health & Environmental Resilience and Livability in Cities (HERL), will be hosted online in collaboration with the esteemed Perugia University, Italy. In recent decades, the world has witnessed an unprecedented pace of urbanization, with a significant majority of the global population now residing in urban areas. As cities continue to expand and evolve, the interplay between health, environmental sustainability, and urban livability has become an increasingly pressing concern.

The theme of this conference underscores the critical importance of fostering resilient, sustainable, and livable urban environments for the well-being of current and future generations. As cities grapple with multifaceted challenges ranging from public health crises and environmental degradation to social inequities and infrastructure deficiencies, the need to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue and collaborative action has never been more pertinent.

We extend our sincerest gratitude to all contributors, participants, and supporters who have contributed to the success of the 3rd HERL conference. Your collective dedication to advancing the cause of urban health and environmental resilience is truly commendable, and we look forward to the enduring impact of our shared endeavors.

Against this backdrop, the 3rd HERL conference provides a platform for scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders from around the globe to convene, exchange insights, and chart a course toward healthier, more resilient, and livable cities. By delving into topics such as urban health disparities, green infrastructure, green energy, material for sustainable and renewable energy, climate resilience, community engagement, and innovative urban planning, this conference aims to catalyze transformative approaches that can enhance the health and well-being of urban residents while safeguarding the natural environment.

Furthermore, the collaboration with Perugia University underscores the international scope of this undertaking and the shared commitment to advancing knowledge and solutions in the realm of urban health and environmental resilience. Through this collective endeavor, we aspire to harness the collective expertise and experiences of diverse participants to generate actionable strategies and best practices that can be applied in urban settings worldwide.

The 21st century has seen significant shifts in climate variables, reflected in the form of extreme weather conditions and events. Coupled with infectious diseases and viruses, it has and is still presenting societies and organizations today with major, and occasionally unprecedented, challenges. Consequently, the resulting disruptions and their consequences are changing the Built Environment (BE), forcing the world to rethink buildings and urban areas as well as leverage innovative sustainable solutions. In light of the extraordinary risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change impacts escalated in the form of an increased frequency of natural hazard occurrences in cities. Therefore, current research is now highlighting the importance of the role of the Built Environment in supporting public health measures, thus reducing the risk of infections and creating a positive force for the development of healthy urban centers.

The Built Environment is, indeed, of major importance within the context of the wider social and economic environment and its quality is directly correlated to the emergence of serious diseases such as respiratory ones, and others that are psychological or psychiatric. Recent predicaments have shown the limitations of building efficiency, comfort conditions, and deficiencies of the different dimensions of the Built Environment in, both, the indoors and outdoors. As a result, well-referenced solutions are now emerging and developing, ranging from proposed alterations to the space organization, building materials, and design of urban areas, in an effort to increase resilience, improve air quality and lower energy requirements of using materials. However, there are more lessons to be learned and efforts to be made towards a more sustainable and resilient environment, by means of a multidisciplinary scientific and policy-making effort.

For the importance and urgency of this theme, IEREK is organizing the first international conference on “ Health & Environmental Resilience and Livability in Cities - The challenge of climate change " in collaboration with the Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Italy to be held online. By focusing on sustainable and comfortable urban built environments, with an emphasis on the correlation between architecture, engineering, and medicine facets in regards to comfort and wellbeing, we find the need to further pursue advancements in this conference's field. This conference brings together researchers and practitioners from the Engineering and Health sectors to involve them in a conversation that emphasizes what it is to take part in the science of built environment and climate change and human resilience.

Workshop:

• 1. Urban systems design

  1.1 Urban climate

  1.2 Climate change mitigation

  1.3 Urban tactic design and planning

• 2. Livability at the heart of a City’s Urban Planning

  2.1 Green Infrastructure and Climate Strategy

  2.2 Social Bonds and Healthy Behaviors

  2.3 Medical management and urban issues

• 3. Environmental quality, wellbeing and comfort

  3.1 Indoor and outdoor comfort

  3.2 Building energy efficiency

  3.3 New and smart mitigation strategies

• 4. Smart Cities

  4.1 Environmental monitoring

  4.2 Citizen science in smart cities

  4.3 IoT in smart cities

  4.4 Big data analytics in smart cities

• 5. Health Implications in a Changing Environment

  5.1 Urban environmental impact

  5.2 Urban environment and health issues

  5.3 Urban heat islands and heat waves

  5.4 Urban resilience to climate change

A. Online Attendance

 Payment Terms and Guidelines:

• After online registration and payment, the registration fee cannot be reimbursed.
• Final Acceptance/ rejection of your full/ extended paper can only be given after the peer review process.­­
• Inclusion in the conference program, acceptance letters issuance, and consideration for publication must be preceded by registration and payment completion.
• Payment of the registration fee can be made via the following methods (only after online registration):
  • Bank transfer
  • Online payment gateway
  • Cash in IEREK branches
• Contact our Financial Department for inquiries/ requests.

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 Resourceedings by IEREK Press                                  

Resourceedings is an open-access journal that publishes conference proceedings. Conference proceedings compromise of different disciplines, ranging from Engineering including built environments, architecture, and sustainability. Disciplines also include Technology and Energy. Resourceedings is a journal that publishes research articles that shed light on different crucial issues in order to provide them with solutions and suggestions. The journal publishes articles submitted by researchers of interest in different fields.

Resourceedings welcomes diverse approaches to innovative ideas that could potentially be a breakthrough in a particular field of study. To provide permanent archiving, Resourceedings 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, Resourceedings 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.

Our era has witnessed multiple substantial changes in its climate. One can see this in the many sudden or relatively new extreme weather conditions, and the multiple large scale infectious diseases and viruses that have been plighting the entire world collectively.

These inconsistencies have been changing our Built Environment (BE) and how we perceive it. Recent dilemmas have shown the physical and even mental damage that has been caused by limitations of building efficiency, living conditions, and deficits of the different dimensions of the Built Environment in, both, the indoors and outdoors. This unfortunate reality has been driving the world ttowards reinventing structures and urban settings. It also motivated the search for and application of innovative sustainable solutions.

With the COVID-19 pandemic proposing a new vantage point on the dangers and risks our current living environment forces, experts aim to produce research that attempts to highlight the importance of the role of the Built Environment in supporting public health measures, as well as provide strategies that assist in reducing the risk of infections and creating a positive force for the development of healthy urban centers.

Due to the major role the Built Environment plays in the wider social and economic environments, we are faced with a responsibility to take part in the development of the field, knowing that there is no better way to provide solutions for challenges than to prepare ahead of them. And what better way to prepare for the future than with collaboration, collective efforts and active participation?

Accompanying IEREK’s first edition of the International Conference on Health & Environmental Resilience and Livability in Cities (HERL), this intensive 1-day workshop facilitates an exploration of the different ways we can invest in our Built Environment and its structure.

Workshop Objectives:

This one-day workshop brings together a large network of high-quality participants from the European Union (EU) and the United States to discuss the role of environmental agents in urban areas on health issues and comfort, in general, and, both, in the indoors and outdoors of the built environment. Following the conference topics & themes, it will tackle topics on Urban Systems Design, Urban Climate, Climate Changes, Urban Heat Islands, and Heat Waves, Urban Resilience to Climate Change, Indoor and Outdoor Comfort, Building Energy Efficiency, Smart Cities, Urban Environmental Impact, Urban Environment & Health Issues and more –all through the delivery of lectures, simulation of fruitful discussions and the creation of beneficial and applicable strategies.

This workshop welcomes the conference participants, University of Perugia PhD students and other interested participants.

To register, please visit the Workshop Page here.

Workshop Attendance:

Authors and attendees of the conference are free to attend the online workshop free of charge.