Urban Transport 2019

25th International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment

25–27 June 2019
Aveiro, Portugal

Overview

The 25th International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment took place in Aveiro, Portugal. The Conference was organised by the Wessex Institute, UK, represented by Professors Santiago Hernandez and Stavros Syngellakis and the University of Aveiro, represented by Professor Carlos Borrego.

The conference, which started in Southampton in 1995, is well-established and always attracts a wide international spread of delegates. The continuing requirement for better urban transport systems and the need for a healthier environment has added to the increasing success of this annual meeting which attracts international delegates from many different countries. Innovative systems, new approaches and original ideas need to be thoroughly tested and critically evaluated before they can be implemented in practice; this highlights the importance of the Conference. Moreover, there is a growing need for integration with telecommunication systems and IT applications in order to improve safety, security and efficiency. The Conference also addresses the need to solve important pollution problems associated with urban transport in order to achieve a healthier environment.

Opening of the Conference

The conference was opened by Professor Santiago Hernandez, who welcomed the delegates, before paying tribute to the founder of the Wessex Institute, the late Prof Carlos A Brebbia.

Professor Hernandez then mentioned that the main objective 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 in transactions and journals, through its publishing arm, WIT Press.

Professor Carlos Borrego of the University of Aveiro also welcomed the delegates to the University. He went on to talk about the history of the university itself, including the founding of the department of Environment and Planning where the conference was held, and the history of Aveiro as a city.

Invited Presentations

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

• "Infrastructure assessment as a mechanism to enhance spatial and strategic planning and decision making in determining development priorities within urban areas in developing countries” by Professor Ilse Schoeman, North West University, South Africa.
• “Land use, traffic generation and emissions in formulating a simplified approach in assessing development impacts in residential areas”, by Professor Carel Schoeman, North West University, South Africa.
• “Planning for accessible jobs: case of Bangalore metropolitan area”, by Ms Gargi Ghosh, Sky Group, India
• “Experimental techniques and numerical models to detect pollutant formation in the transport sector” by Dr Guido Marseglia, Link Campus University, Italy.
• “A math-heuristic for optimizing skip-stop operation strategies in rail transit lines”, by Dr Francisco Ortega, University of Seville, Spain.
• “A simulation-based approach for estimating railway capacity” by Professor Luca D'Acierno, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.
• “Shipping emissions and its impact on air quality on urban coastal areas: present and future scenarios” by Dr Alexandra Monteiro, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
• “Using air quality modelling and emission projections as a support to the 1st air pollution control program under NEC directive targets for 2030” by Dr Joana Ferreira, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
• “Assessing road transportation impacts of connected and automated vehicles for a clean and sustainable mobility” by Professor Margarida Coelho, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

Conference Sessions

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

• Joint Special session organised by the University of Aveiro, with Air Pollution 2019 entitled “Transport and air quality in Portugal”
• Urban Transport Planning and Management
• Transport modelling and simulation
• Public transport
• Urban mobility (2 sessions)

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

Conference Publication

Papers presented at this conference will appear in Vol. 186 of the WIT Transactions on the Built Environment (ISSN 1743-3509). Papers presented at the meeting will be 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 a local specialist seafood restaurant called Maré Cheia serving excellent food and drinks. At the meeting, members of the committee were thanked for their support of the Conference and were encouraged to make suggestions for bringing the Conference topics list up to date and also advise WIT on the evolution of the conference.

Conference Dinner

The Conference dinner took place at Salpoente, a speciality fine dining restaurant in the canal area of Aveiro. The building used to be used by the local salt pan industry. One of the highlights of the evening was the short ride there on the canal, on narrow boats known as Moliceiro, which were originally used to transport sea grass vegetation taken from the canal to fertilize the nearby arable lands. Nowadays these vessels exist only as beautifully decorated pleasure craft for tourists to enjoy the canals, and this is one of the reasons that Aveiro is referred to as the Venice of Portugal.

Delegates enjoyed the ambience of the ancient building, starting with sparkling local wine, followed by a five course meal. First was seafood soup with parsley and coriander (sopa de peixe, pevide e coentros), Folhado de Alheira (a kind of sausage roll with a delicious meat filling), followed by bacalhau on chick pea mash with green vegetables, then veal with potatoes vegetables and beans. For dessert we enjoyed a pannacotta with poached fruit then coffee to end. All the courses were accompanied by local wines and the atmosphere of the whole evening was particularly appreciated by the participants.

Closing of the Conference

The conference was closed by Professor Stavros Syngellakis, and Professor Carlos Borrego, who thanked the delegates for attending and hoped that they would consider attending the next conference in the series which is due to be reconvened in 2020 in a location to be advised very soon.

Related Conferences

Sustainable City 2019, 1 - 3 October 2019

Eco-Architecture 2020, 5 - 7 May 2020

Sustainable Development and Planning 2020, 6 - 8 May 2020

Air Pollution 2020, 8 – 10 June 2020

Environmental Impact 2020, 10 – 12 June 2020

COMPRAIL 2020, 1 – 3 July 2020

Sustainable City 2020, 22 - 24 September 2020