BEM/MRM 43 - Call for Papers

43rd International Conference on Boundary Elements and other Mesh Reduction Methods

7–9 December 2020
Daytona Beach, Florida, USA

Introduction
The annual conference on Boundary Elements and other Mesh Reduction Methods (BEM/MRM) which started in 1978, now in its 43rd version, is to take place at Daytona Beach Campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

The meetings since 1978 have produced a collection of edited volumes in which the major developments in the field have been represented. This valuable series has been offered in digital form since 1993, with all papers available Open Access in the Wessex Institute’s eLibrary website (www.witpress.com/elibrary), where they can be easily accessed and downloaded for free.

Since starting in 1978 the Conference has attracted high-quality papers that report further advances in techniques that reduce or eliminate the type of meshes associated with finite elements or finite differences, for instance.

Theoretical advances and new foundations have been reported at the Conference for more than 40 years, helping to expand the range of applications as well as the type of materials in response to industrial and professional requirements. This ability to evolve is reflected in the history of the Conference which has ensured the success of the meetings as well as the establishment of a community of stakeholders.

As design, analysis and manufacture become more integrated, the chances are that the users will be less aware of the capabilities of the analytical techniques that are at the core of the process. This reinforces the need to retain expertise in certain specialised areas of numerical methods, such as BEM/MRM, to ensure that all new tools perform satisfactorily in the integrated process.

The maturity of BEM since 1978 has resulted in a substantial number of industrial applications which demonstrate the accuracy, robustness and easy use of the technique. Their range still needs to be widened, taking into account the potentialities of the Mesh Reduction techniques in general.

This well-established conference acts as a forum to discuss new ideas and critically compare results before the solution and tools are released to end users.

The meeting welcomes all stakeholders interested in the methods and particularly the participation of young researchers. Their new contributions have been the principal reason why the conference has continued to evolve.

Topics
The following list covers some of the topics that can be presented at BEM/MRM 43. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

•     Advanced formulations
•     Hybrid foundations
•     Advanced meshless and mesh reduction methods
•     Structural mechanics applications
•     Solid mechanics
•     Heat and mass transfer
•     Electrical engineering and electromagnetics
•     Computational methods
•     Fluid flow modelling
•     Damage mechanics and fracture
•     Dynamics and vibrations
•     Engineering applications
•     Interfacing with other methods
•     Coupling with design and manufacturing
•     Solution of large systems of equations
•     Fast multipole BEM
•     H-matrices and wavelets
•     Multiscale problems
•     Applications in Biomedical engineering
•     Particle-particle interaction methods
•     Design optimisation and inverse problems
•     Stochastic modelling
•     Wave propagation phenomena

 Find out more on the conference webpage.

Water Pollution 2020 - Call for Papers

15th International Conference on Monitoring, Modelling and Management of Water Pollution

30 September–2 October 2020 (Revised Dates)
Valencia, Spain

Introduction
Water Pollution 2020 is the 15th International Conference in the series of Monitoring, Modelling and Management of Water Pollution. The conference, which has always been very successful, provides a forum for discussion amongst scientists, managers and academics from different areas of water contamination. The wealth of information exchanged in this international meeting continues to be of great benefit to all involved with water pollution problems.

The environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads discharged into natural water bodies requires the formation of a framework for regulation and control. This framework needs to be based on scientific results that relate pollutant discharge with changes in water quality. The results of these studies allow the industry to apply more efficient methods of controlling and treating waste loads, and water authorities to enforce appropriate regulations regarding this matter.

Environmental problems are essentially interdisciplinary. Engineers and scientists working in this field must be familiar with a wide range of issues including the physical processes of mixing and dilution, chemical and biological processes, mathematical modelling, data acquisition and measurement, to name but a few. In view of the scarcity of available data, it is important that experiences are shared on an international basis. Thus, a continuous exchange of information between scientists from different countries is essential.

The Water Pollution Conference started in Southampton, UK in 1991 and has been held in Milan, Italy (1993); Porto Carras, Greece (1995); Lake Bled, Slovenia (1997); Lemnos, Greece (1999); Rhodes, Greece (2001); Cadiz, Spain (2003); Bologna, Italy (2006); Alicante, Spain (2008); Bucharest, Romania (2010); The New Forest, UK, home of the Wessex Institute (2012); the Algarve (2014), Venice (2016) and A Coruna (2018).

All published papers since 1993 have been widely distributed and archived in the eLibrary where they are permanently and freely available to the scientific community (www.witpress.com/elibrary).

Topics
The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at the conference. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

•     Water contamination
•     Assessing, monitoring, modelling and forecasting
•     Water management
•     Wastewater and saltwater management
•     Groundwater and aquifers
•     Freshwater quality
•     Coastal and offshore pollution
•     Health risk studies
•     Agricultural contamination
•     Industrial pollution
•     Water reuse
•     Emerging technologies
•     Socio-economic-political causes and consequences
•     Education and training
•     Pharmaceuticals
•     Micro-pollutants
•     Changes in land use
•     Dredging work
•     Climate change
•     Design and architecture
•     Urban water
•     Sustainable urban drainage systems
•     Case Studies

Find out more on the conference webpage.

Urban Agriculture 2020 - Call for Papers

2nd International Conference on Urban Agriculture and City Sustainability

29 September–1 October 2020 (Revised Dates)
Valencia, Spain

Introduction
Following the success of the first conference in the series which took place in the New Forest, UK (2018), the conference has been reconvened in 2020. The aim of the meeting is to review and discuss ways in which urban agriculture can contribute to achieving sustainable cities.

As urban populations continue to increase it is essential to consider ways of reducing their impact in terms of use of natural resources, waste production and climate change.

The increasing number of people in cities requires new strategies to supply the necessary food with limited provision of land and decreasing resources. This will become more challenging unless innovative solutions for growing and distributing food in urban environments are considered.

The scale of modern food production has created and exacerbated many vulnerabilities and the feeding of cities is now infinitely more complex. As such, the food system cannot be considered secure, ethical or sustainable.

In the last few years, there has been a rapid expansion in initiatives and projects exploring innovative methods and processes for sustainable food production. The majority of these projects are focused on providing alternative models that shift the power back from the global food system to communities and farmers improving social cohesion, health and wellbeing. It is therefore not surprising that more people are looking towards urban farming initiatives as a potential solution.

These initiatives have demonstrated that urban agriculture has the potential to transform our living environment towards ecologically sustainable and healthy cities. Urban agriculture can also contribute to energy, natural resources, land and water savings, ecological diversity and urban management cost reductions.

The impact urban agriculture can have on the shape and form of our cities has never been fully addressed. How cities embed these new approaches and initiatives, as part of new urban developments and a city regeneration strategy is critical.

The Urban Agriculture conference will address these challenges and search for new solutions.

Topics
The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at Urban Agriculture. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

Development and planning

•     Urban metabolism
•     History of urban agriculture
•     Integrated urbanism
•     Sustainable land use
•     Urban and peri-urban enterprises
•     Green infrastructures and sustainable urbanism
•     CPULs - Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes
•     City food chains
•     Food sovereignty
•     Urban distribution and processing systems
•     Market gardens
•     Sustainable urban drainage
•     Water resources and irrigation systems
•     Sustainable food systems
•     Organic farming
•     Food security

Urban farms

•     Patchwork farms
•     Pop-up farms
•     Roof top farms
•     Green roofs
•     Vertical greening and farms
•     Hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics
•     Hydrogardens
•     Composting in cities
•     Allotment systems
•     Guerrilla gardening
•     Permaculture and agricultural forestry
•     Urban animal farms and bee-keeping
•     Greenhouses
•     Food networks

Socio-economic aspects

•     Community supported agriculture
•     Community cohesion and job creation
•     Community gardens
•     Communities as co-producers
•     School and young urban farmers
•     Education and training

Innovation and benefits

•     Closed loops systems
•     Transport and distribution
•     Waste food recovery and recycling
•     Renewable energy resources
•     Healthy cities
•     Care farming
•     Ecological water systems
•     Biofuel production in cities
•     Quality of streets and urban environment
•     Reduction of Urban Heat Island
•     Farm to fork
•     Eco-cities and eco-villaging
•     Show cities
•     Air pollution reductions
•     Organic farming

Case studies

 Find out more on the conference webpage.

FRIAR 2020 - Call for Papers

7th International Conference on Flood and Urban Water Management

28–30 September 2020 (Revised Dates)
Valencia, Spain

Introduction
FRIAR 2020 is the seventh conference of this successful series. The conference started at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London 2008 and was reconvened in Milan in 2010, Dubrovnik in 2012, Poznan in 2014, Venice in 2016 and A Coruna 2018. Since 2012 a parallel seminar on the Design, Construction, Maintenance, Monitoring and Control of Urban Water has taken place which is now an integral part of the conference.

The meeting aims to attract researchers, academics and practitioners actively involved in improving our understanding of urban water systems and flood events.

Flooding is a global phenomenon that claims numerous lives worldwide each year. Apart from the physical damage to buildings, contents and loss of life, which are the most obvious, impacts of floods upon households and other more indirect losses are often overlooked. These indirect and intangible impacts are generally associated with disruption to normal life and longer term health issues. Flooding represents a major barrier to the alleviation of poverty in many parts of the developing world, where vulnerable communities are often exposed to sudden and life-threatening events.

As our cities continue to expand, their urban infrastructures need to be re-evaluated and adapted to new requirements related to the increase in population and the growing areas under urbanization. Topics such as contamination and pollution discharges in urban water bodies, as well as the monitoring of water recycling systems are currently receiving a great deal of attention from researchers and professional engineers working in the water industry. This conference also considers these problems and deals with two main urban water topics: water supply networks and urban drainage.

FRIAR 2020 will generate an improved understanding of emerging flood risk management and urban water management challenges, drawing on the expertise of numerous disciplines and considering a range of responses. The conference provides a rich forum for the development of innovative solutions that can help bring about multiple benefits toward achieving integrated flood risk and urban water management strategies and policy.

Papers presented at this conference, as all other meetings run by the Wessex Institute, are archived in the Institute eLibrary (www.witpress.com/elibrary) and permanently and freely available to the international community.

Topics
The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at the conference. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the meeting are also welcome.

Floods

•     Flood risk management
•     Flood warning and forecasting
•     Flood response and recovery
•     Flood protection
•     Flood modelling
•     Flood mitigation
•     Flood vulnerability
•     Climate change impact
•     Flood damage assessment
•     Socio and economic impact
•     Community engagement
•     Emergency planning
•     Blue-green infrastructure
•     Resilient approaches
•     Catchment-based approaches
•     Natural flood management
•     Remote sensing in flood applications

Urban Water Systems

•     Water supply networks
•     Leakage and losses
•     Modelling and experimentation
•     Safety and security of water systems
•     Water quality
•     Water savings and reuse
•     Wastewater treatment and reuse
•     Urban drainage systems
•     Stormwater management
•     Watershed management
•     Structural works and infrastructure
•     Maintenance and repairs
•     Sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDs)
•     Greywater
•     Rainwater harvesting
•     Water and sewage systems in urban areas
•     Water retention

Case studies

 Find out more on the conference webpage.

Sustainable City 2020 - Call for Papers

14th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability

22–24 September 2020
Rome, Italy

Introduction
The 14th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability addresses all aspects of the urban environment aiming to provide solutions leading towards sustainability. The Sustainable City 2020 conference follows a series of very successful meetings that started in Rio (2000), followed by Segovia (2002), Siena (2004), Tallinn (2006), Skiathos (2008), A Coruña (2010), Ancona (2012), Kuala Lumpur (2013), Siena (2014), Medellin (2015), Alicante (2016), Seville (2017) and Valencia (2019).

The meeting always attracts a substantial number of contributions from participants from different backgrounds and countries. The variety of topics and experiences is one of the main reasons behind the success of the series.


Urban areas result in a series of environmental challenges varying from the consumption of natural resources and the subsequent generation of waste and pollution, contributing to the development of social and economic imbalances. As cities continue to grow all over the world, these problems tend to become more acute and require the development of new solutions.

The challenge of planning sustainable contemporary cities lies in considering the dynamics of urban systems, exchange of energy and matter, and the function and maintenance of ordered structures directly or indirectly supplied and maintained by natural systems. The task of researchers, aware of the complexity of the contemporary city, is to improve the capacity to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in the urban environment. Any investigation or planning on a city ought to consider the relationships between the parts and their connections with the living world. The dynamics of its networks (flows of energy-matter, people, goods, information and other resources) are fundamental for an understanding of the evolving nature of today’s cities.

Large cities are probably the most complex mechanisms to manage. They represent a fertile ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists, and other professionals able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements.

The Sustainable City Conference addresses the multidisciplinary components of urban planning, the challenges presented by the increasing size of the cities, the number of resources required and the complexity of modern society.

Topics
The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at Sustainable City 2020. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

•     Urban strategies
•     Planning, development and management
•     Urban metabolism
•     Quality of life
•     The community and the city
•     Infrastructure and society
•     The S3 city: smart, sustainable and safe
•     Eco-town planning
•     Spatial conflicts in the city
•     Urban transportation and planning
•     Architectural issues
•     Sustainable energy and the city
•     Cultural heritage sites
•     Urban conservation and regeneration
•     Environmental management
•     Flood risk
•     Waste management
•     Urban air pollution
•     Health issues
•     Water resources
•     Landscape planning and design
•     Urbanization of rural areas
•     Urban agriculture
•     Intelligent environment
•     Planning for risk and natural hazards
•     Waterfront development
•     Case studies

 Find out more on the conference webpage.

Urban Growth 2020 - Call for Papers

2nd International Conference on Urban Growth and the Circular Economy

9–11 September 2020
Bilbao, Spain

Introduction
The International Conference on Urban Growth and the Circular Economy was held for the first time in 2018 in Alicante. Following its success, it was decided to reconvene the event in Bilbao, Spain, in 2020.

The quest for the sustainable city has until recently focused on the efficient use of resources with the application of technical advances giving rise to the definition of SMART Cities. The economic model emphasised, however, is still “linear” in the sense that the design and consumption follow the pattern of extraction of natural resources, manufacturing, product usage and waste disposal.

The continuous growth of the urban population has recently given rise to the emergence of a new model which responds better to the challenges of natural resource depletion as well as waste management. This model has been called the “circular economy”.

The circular economy is a recent concept based on the reuse of what up to now has been considered wastes, reintroducing them into the production cycle. The objective of the circular economy is to reduce consumption and achieve savings in terms of raw materials, water and energy, thus contributing to the preservation of resources in order to reach sustainable development.

With its roots in environmental economics, the idea of the circular economy is to implement the life cycle of products, services, waste, materials and energy. The concept needs to be embedded not only in the original design but also in all process phases and during production, which ought to be as efficient as possible.

One of the most important of these resources is water which is becoming a scarce commodity in an ever-expanding world whose population demands a better standard of living. Water is required for agricultural purposes as well as by industry, in addition to its use by the general population. The recycling of water is an essential component of the circular economy.

Closely associated with the concept of the sustainable city and the circular economy is the need to develop networks, not only within the city itself but also across other city regions to ensure governance based on cooperation.

There is no possibility for the success of a long term economic policy without addressing the problems of natural resources and environmental pollution, which will affect the reuse of materials and products.

The current market economy based on a linear model from resource extraction, manufacturing, consumption and waste disposal, has not proved a long term suitable solution, in spite of the substantial efforts made in reducing its environmental impacts. This is largely due to the continuous population growth, in a society that demands high standards of living, thus requiring an ever-increasing share of natural resources.

The basis of the circular economy can be summarised as follows:

• Eco-consumption: It starts with the evaluation of the possible environmental impacts of the process.
• Industrial Ecology: The industrial phase is based on the principle of optimisation of components, the flow of materials, energy and services.
• Economic Functionality: The process gives more importance to use than possession; ie to the sale of services rather than goods.
• Reuse: Aim to use waste to create new products. This phase also involves the repairs, recycling and value-added procedures to prolong the life of any given products or services.

The achievement of the goals proposed by the circular economy requires the cooperation of the community, as well as technological changes and advances.

The need to base suitable development on the environmental, economic and social points of view, demands an integrated approach to solve the city problems including planning and development.

Conference Topics
The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at Urban Growth 2020. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

•     Infrastructure and eco-architecture
•     Green urban areas
•     Landscape and planning
•     City heritage and its regeneration
•     Quality of life
•     Urban transport
•     Energy systems
•     Water reuse
•     Air contamination
•     Water pollution
•     Waste management and recycling
•     Noise pollution
•     Waste water systems
•     Risk analysis
•     Recreation in the city
•     Coastal cities
•     Socio-economic issues
•     Law and regulation
•     Production of goods and services
•     Consumption issues
•     New design practices
•     Smart technologies
•     Mobility in the city
•     Safety aspects
•     Smart habitats
•     Systems resilience
•     City governance
•     Community participation
•     Water heritage protection
•     Circular economy at city level
•     Case studies

 Find out more on the conference webpage.

Sustainable Development and Planning 2020 - Call for Papers

11th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning

9–11 September 2020
Bilbao, Spain

Introduction
The 11th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning builds upon a series that started in 2003 in Skiathos, Greece, followed by other meetings in Bologna (2005), Algarve (2007), Cyprus (2009), New Forest – home of the Wessex Institute, UK (2011); Kos, Greece (2013), Istanbul (2015), Penang (2016), the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK (2017) and Siena (2018).

Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policymakers and economists have to work together to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations.

Problems related to development and planning, which affect rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world. Accelerated urbanisation has resulted in the deterioration of the environment and loss of quality of life. Urban development can also aggravate problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, amongst many others. Taking into consideration the interaction between different regions and developing new methodologies for monitoring, planning and implementation of novel strategies can offer solutions mitigating environmental pollution and non-sustainable use of available resources.

Energy-saving and eco-friendly building approaches have become an important part of modern development, which places special emphasis on resource optimisation. Planning has a key role to play in ensuring that these solutions, as well as new materials and processes, are incorporated in the most efficient manner.

Sustainable Development and Planning 2020 will bring together academics, policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders from across the globe to discuss the latest advances in the field. The conference will discuss new academic findings and their application in planning and development strategies, assessment tools and decision making processes.

All published papers from previous meetings are permanently archived in the Wessex Institute eLibrary (www.witpress.com/elibrary) where they are freely available to the international community

Topics
The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at the conference. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the meeting are also welcome.

•     Regional planning
•     City planning
•     Sustainability and the built environment
•     Cultural heritage
•     Environmental policies and planning
•     Education for sustainable development
•     Sustainable tourism
•     Resources management
•     Rural areas developments
•     Urban growth
•     Sustainable supply chains
•     Sustainable solutions in emerging countries
•     Sustainable mobility
•     Energy efficiency
•     Sustainable energy resources
•     Urban utilities and services
•     Climate change
•     Waste management
•     Urban flooding and drainage
•     Smartgrid and microgrid
•     Sustainable development indicators and indexes
•     Sustainable development goals
•     Governance and policies
•     Community and social planning
•     Quality of life
•     Carbon and ecological footprint
•     Sustainable Infrastructures
•     Water supply and management
•     Case studies

 Find out more on the conference webpage.