Urban Transport 2018 - Post Conference Report

24th International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment

19 - 21 September 2018
Seville, Spain

Overview

The 24th International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment took place in Seville, Spain. The Conference was organised by Wessex Institute, UK, represented by Professor Patrick De Wilde, and the University of Seville, Spain, represented by Professor Francisco Ortega Riejos.

The conference, which started in Southampton in 1995, always attracts a wide international spread of delegates. It is well-established as the premier event of its type. The variety of topics covered by the conference reflects the complex interaction of the urban transport systems with their environment and the need to establish integrated strategies.

Opening of the Conference

The conference was opened by Patrick De Wilde who welcomed the delegates to the conference, before paying tribute to the founder of the Wessex Institute, the late Prof Carlos A Brebbia.
Professor Patrick de Wilde then mentioned that the main object of WIT is the dissemination of knowledge, with particular emphasis on science and engineering. Another way in which this is achieved is by the publication of papers from conferences and Journals, through its publishing arm, WIT Press.

Keynote Address

Prof Francisco Ortega then welcomed the delegates to Seville, before giving his Keynote Address entitled “Railway traffic disturbance management by means of control strategies applied to operations in the transit system”.

Invited Speakers

There were a series of invited lectures on advanced topics of research and applications, as follows:

• “High-speed rail services in Spain and its relationship on population growth”, by Jose Luis Miralles i Garcia, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.
• “An approach to resilience in transportation planning”, by Ilse Schoeman, North West University, South Africa.
• “Green infrastructure: Implications for spatial, land use and transportation planning”, by Carel Schoeman, North West University, South Africa.
• “An assessment of the effect of pavement surface condition on performance of signalised intersections”, by Rayya Hassan, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.

Conference Sessions

The papers presented during the conference were classified under the following headings:

• Safety and security
• Economic and social impact
• Travel behaviour studies
• Urban transport planning and management
• Eco-mobility transport systems
• Freight transport
• Urban strategies
• Smart city transport
• Mobility and public space
• Public transport systems

There were numerous occasions for holding informal discussions during the coffee breaks and the complimentary lunches provided by the hotel.

Conference Publication

Papers presented at this conference will appear in Vol. 182 of the WIT Transactions in the Built Environment (ISSN 1743-3509). All papers presented at the meeting are available Open Access in the eLibrary of the Wessex Institute (https://www.witpress.com/elibrary) from where they can be freely downloaded by any interested parties.

A few papers were selected for publication in the International Journal of Transport Development and Integration. This Journal covers all transportation modes and the general topic of transport systems, with particular emphasis on their integration and harmonisation. The variety of topics covered by the Journal reflects the complex interaction of transportation systems and the environment, and the need to establish integrated strategies.

ISAC Dinner

The meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of the Conference took place over dinner. At the meeting, members of the committee were encouraged to inform WIT of any suggestions for new topics to the conference and also discussed the evolution of the conference.

Conference Dinner

The Conference dinner took place in the Palacio Andaluz, where the participants could enjoy local food, especially the “tapas”. Entertainment was also provided with a high quality Flamenco show, in which the second of three parts was inspired by the well-known opera “Carmen” by Georges Bizet, based on the novel by the French writer Prosper Mérimée. The evening was particularly appreciated by the participants.

Closing of the Conference

The conference was closed by Professor Patrick de Wilde, who thanked the delegates for attending and hoped that they would consider attending URBAN TRANSPORT 2019 when it is reconvened in Aveiro, Portugal from 25-27 June 2019.

Related Conferences

Urban Transport 2019, 25 - 27 June 2019
Sustainable City 2019, 1 - 3 October 2019