CITIES
International Conference is an annual international conference continually held
by the Urban and Planning Regional Department of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh
Nopember (ITS Surabaya). With its debut conference in 2005, CITIES was and has
been designated as a vessel for researchers, academics, and practitioners to
present, disseminate, and discuss research results and scientific analyses in
urban and regional research areas. Through the dedicated endeavours of every
party, CITIES, which was once national-scoped in its early years, has
transformed into an international-scoped conference since 2013. Thus, the
diversity of speakers and participants has expanded to worldwide audience, be
it from the Asian, European, Australian, or American Continent.
The theme ushered in each CITIES International Conference will vary annually, with each year’s theme being determined by the Steering Committee comprising of the representatives of the Department and laboratories through considerations of numerous aspects comprehensively. The conference history of CITIES for the last five years are as follows.
CITIES International Conference 2021 will bring the theme “Post-COVID Cities: A Paradigm Shift?”. This theme was chosen due to the fact that urban areas become the most susceptible towards the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth both various impacts to urban development which are classified into four major themes: environmental quality, socio-economic structure, governance, and urban transportation & design. Such rapid and huge shifts also encourage researchers in the planning field to reflect and simultaneously question fundamental points, such as the efficacy of planning approaches, roles, functions, and models so long adopted to respond and manage critical health situations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The urban medium no longer facilitates planning and management within the constraints of business as usual. There is an emergence of necessity that cities be smarter, more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
With said necessity, CITIES International Conference 2021 is designated to become a meeting place for stakeholders, be it academia, researchers, practitioners, and bureaucrats within and beyond national boundaries, to disseminate research results, practical experiences in local, national, and global levels, as wells as share insights and recommendations regarding post-COVID-19 pandemic plans and management
