La neuvième conférence internationale sur la e-planification urbaine explore et discute des recherches théoriques et empiriques innovantes sur la e-planification urbaine. La conférence recherche à la fois des travaux théoriques et des recherches empiriques sur des approches et des méthodes innovantes et de nouveaux outils numériques dans le domaine de la planification urbaine. La conférence accueille également de courtes présentations avec une orientation plus pratique.

9th international conférence on Urban e-planning (IJEPR 2025)

Lisbon, Portugal, 5 - 7 May 2025 

Virtual / Online

Argument

The International Conference on Urban e-Planning is the main annual meeting of the 'Urban e-Planning Research Network' (UEPNET). It will have its 9th edition in 2025. These conferences have been promoted in articulation with the International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR) and were hosted at the U. Lisbon from 2016 to 2024.

It is a multi- and interdisciplinary forum for the exploration, presentation, and discussion of innovative theoretical and empirical research on Urban e-Planning. It seeks both theoretical works and empirical research on ground-breaking approaches, innovative methods and new digital tools in the field of Urban e-Planning. The Conference also welcomes short presentations with a more practical orientation.

The 9th International Conference on Urban e-Planning, organized by the UEPNET in articulation with the 'International Journal of E-Planning Research' (IJEPR), will be held in virtual / online format, on 5 - 7 May 2025.

Following the successful Conferences held from 2016 to 2024, the 9th IJEPR International Conference on Urban e-Planning, as the previous eight, aims to explore how the current digital transformation in the field of urban planning can serve the common good.

The growing number of digital innovations creates numerous opportunities and challenges for urban and regional planners around the world.

We seek papers that address issues related to the current digital revolution, including the introduction of AI, and its impact on urban planning and on key urban development issues.

In this context, the 9th International Conference on 'Urban e-Planning' aims to explore the governance and planning of smart cities; the impact of Artificial Inteligence in urban e-governance; new developments in citizen e-participation in planning; the link between urban e-planning and key social, economic and environmental dimensions, namely the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss and the virtual economy; the need to decolonize urban e-planning and the challenges ahead concerning the education of future generations of urban planners.

We invite thus theoretical and empirical contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes (see details here >):

Track 1 - Smart Urban Governance and e-Planning

This track examines and discusses current practices, trends, challenges, and innovations in the governance and planning of Smart Cities, including in the context of crisis management. It seeks to explore how innovative city technologies can enhance inclusivity, equity, accessibility, development of safe cities, creative placemaking, and the development of energy-efficient cities. It also seeks to explore the role of spatial data and GIS technologies for evidence-based urban policies and planning, and the role of urban e-planning in the governance of smart border cities.

Track 2 - Artificial Intelligence in Urban Governance

This track explores and discusses the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and urban e-planning. It aims thus to explore the implications of artificial intelligence for participatory planning, data analysis, and urban management.

Track 3 - Citizens e-Participation in Urban Governance

This track examines and discusses the multiple forms of citizen e-participation, and stakeholder engagement, including Citizen Science and Participatory Budgeting, and its role in urban e-planning. It seeks also to assess the e-planning tools and democratic innovations. How effective are existing digital tools / platforms in supporting citizens’ capacity to access public services and participate in planning activities? This track also seeks to examine how responsive city frameworks and people-centric approaches can integrate with e-planning to create inclusive, adaptive, and resilient urban environments, leveraging real-time data and participatory tools.

Track 4 – Urban e-Planning and the Social Dimension

This track seeks to examine and discuss the role of urban e-planning in addressing social issues, namely the role of urban e-planning in gender-responsive urban development, in the planning for accessible and inclusive cities for all, including marginalised groups and people with disabilities, as well as its potentials and opportunities to govern informal settlement developments, and for planning affordable housing.

Track 5 - Urban e-Planning, Biodiversity and Climate Emergency

This track explores, examines and discusses the role of urban e-planning in local / urban biodiversity and climate adaptation and mitigation policies, including energy transitions, urban greening, the effects of extreme temperatures, and other challenges and outcomes.

Track 6 - Planning for a Virtual Economy and Nomad Workforce

The pandemic accelerated the expansion of remote working, and this seems to have a big local economic impact. This track aims to explore and discuss the issue of planning for a virtual economy and for a nomad workforce over the coming years. It seeks also to examine the Post-Pandemic Urban Design, to analyse how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped urban spaces and planning priorities, including hybrid work environments and public health infrastructure.

Track 7 - Digital Platform Urbanism and the Sharing Economy

This track examines the growing influence of digital platforms on urban governance and everyday life. It responds to the increasing platformisation of urban services and the need to critically examine how cities can better govern and harness these technologies for public benefit.

Track 8 - Decolonising Smart Cities: Towards Plural and Just Digital Futures

This track invites critical examinations of how smart city frameworks can be reconceptualised from Global South perspectives to address inequalities and promote more inclusive digital futures. It welcomes work that challenges technocentric and universalist approaches to smart urbanism.

Track 9 - The Education of Urban e-Planners and Planning Ethics

The widespread use of the new digital technologies in the field of urban planning, including the recent and growing application of AI, should be prompting change in how planning professionals are being educated. The track thus aims to examine and discuss, among other issues, the recent changes and innovations in the education and training of planners and the prospects of reform in the planning core curriculum; the need of e-Planning laboratory, in other words, do we need ‘dedicated places’ to experiment/learn about how to connect scientific and lay knowledge through digital analytical tools?; and to discuss professional approaches and standards for ethical e-planning practices.

Participation guidelines 

• Participation in the conference requires the presentation of a paper
• Participants are expected to attend the entire conference
• Submissions are double-blind peer-reviewed by the Scientific Committee for content and appropriateness to this conference
• The working language of the conference is English.

Deadline for abstract submission: 15 February 2025

Submit the abstract, no more than 250 words, to: Carlos Nunes Silva, Convenor of the 9th Conference on Urban e-Planning Lisbon, Portugal

E-mail: ijepr.conference@gmail.com

Download 'Abstract Submission Form

Registration

• Participation requires presentation of a paper
• Participation in the 9th Conference (Virtual Sessions) is free of charge
• Registration (online): 1 - 10 April 2025

Panel organization

• The conference is organized in panels according to tracks, themes and issues
• Each panel has 4 - 5 papers
• Oral presentation: 15 min (including discussion)

Publication

• It is expected that a selection of the conference papers will be published in the International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR), which is since January 2021 a Gold Open Access journal.
• The selected papers will undergo the IJEPR standard double-blind peer-review process.
• More information on the Conference website ('Publication').

Important dates

• Submission deadline for abstracts: 15 February 2025

• Notification of abstract acceptance: 28 February 2025
• Registration (online form): 1 - 10 April 2025
• PowerPoint presentation (PPT file): during the conference. It will be published / posted in the Conference website after the Conference
• Full paper for publication in the IJEPR: until end of August 2025 (see page 'Publication' for more information)

Convenor

• Carlos Nunes Silva
• Urban e-Planning Research Network (UEPNET)
• Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR)
• Lisbon, Portugal

Web >> 

E-mail: cnsulisboa@gmail.com

Conference e-mail: ijepr.conference@gmail.com

Scientific Committee

• Anastasia Stratigea, National Technical University of Athens, Greece
• Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko, University of Tampere, Finland
• Aroon Manoharan, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
• Barney Warf, University of Kansas, USA
• Carlos Nunes Silva, Lisbon, Portugal
• Eda Yucesoy, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey 
• Gynna Millan Franco, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia 
• Ian Bishop, University of Melbourne, Australia
• I-Ting Chuang, University of Auckland, New Zealand 
• Jiří Pánek, Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic
• John Zacharias, Peking University, China
• Julia Kotzebue, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago
• Kheir Al-Kodmany, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
• Lukasz Damurski, Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland
• Michael McCall, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico
• Nadia Chabi, University Salah Boubnider Constantine 3, Algeria
• Pamela Robinson, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada 
• Pilvi Nummi, Aalto University, Finland 
• Rodrigo Firmino, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana, Brazil
• Scott McQuire, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Soon Ae Chun, The City University of New York, USA
• Sylvie Occelli, Istituto di Ricerche Economico Sociali del Piemonte, Italy
• Usha Harris, Macquarie University, Australia
• Verna Nel, University of Free State, South Africa
• Vit Paszto, Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic

[Note: The list of tracks & themes has (inevitably) overlaps. For instance, the theme of planning ethics can be included in several of the tracks listed. We opted to mention it explicitly only in track 9. The theme ‘planning ethics’ can be addressed in papers to be included in one of the other tracks. The same with other issues referred in the list.]