Objectives

How can urban evacuation strategies that rely on transportation systems reduce risk? How can transportation system models be integrated with emerging ICT to support evacuation efforts? How can citizens play a central role in this process? These questions remain largely unanswered in the technical literature.

The course addresses two main topics. The first focuses on planning and demand models, organized around key themes: planning objectives; individual and societal risk; the application of Logical Framework Approach (LFA) to risk planning; and systems of demand models. The second topic concerns training and covers the state of the art, practical exercises and evaluation models, as well as advanced choice models and e-ICT.

The two main arguments are complementary, as even the best emergency and evacuation plan will have no positive impact in disaster conditions without proper training and exercises.

The course, attempting to respond to the above questions, aims to enhance collective interest by increasing resilience and highlighting recovery from social risks.

Programme

Day One (13th October 2026)

Planning and demand models:

    • Planning goal, individual and societal Risk.
    • Logical Framework Approach (LFA) to Risk planning.
    • System of demand models.

 

Day Two (14th October 2026)

Exercises and path choice models:

    • State of the art.
    • Exercises and models to evaluation.
    • Advanced choice models and e-ICT.
      • Random Utility Models (RUM)
      • Dynamic models (day-to-day)
      • Emerging Information and Communication Technologies (e-ICT)
      • Advanced dynamic models (period-to-period)
      • Applications

 

Presenter

Francesco Russo is a Full Professor in Transport Systems at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Reggio Calabria where he has served as Director of the Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Electronics and Transport; Director of the Masters Program in Transport Engineering, and Coordinator of the PhD program in Transport and Logistics Engineering. He also served as Vice President of the Calabria Region and Councillor for the Logistics System.

He was Logistics Advisor to the Italian Minister of Transport, representative for the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers on Nuclear Chemical Risk, Industrial Transport Sector within the Major Risks Commission, and a member of the President’s Office. He also coordinated the Scientific Committee established by the Minister of Transport for the development of Italy’s General Mobility Plan.

He is a member of numerous scientific committees for international journals and conferences. His research focuses mainly on the general theory of transport and logistics systems, dynamic decision processes, traffic assignment, city logistics, evolutionary dynamics of ports, high-speed rail systems, and risk and exposure in transport systems.

He has authored more than 250 scientific publications in international databases and is listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists for both his career-long impact and recent annual performance.