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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.