The 5^th edition of the International Conference on “Urban Planning & Architectural Design for Sustainable Development (UPADSD)” was held in collaboration with University of Florence, Italy, and took place virtually from the 8^th to the 10^th of Jul 2020, due to the travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The conference discussed all the aspects of the development and design of land use and the urban environment, including the planning of infrastructures such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks.  concerns over climate change, clean air, and water, renewable energy, land use

Among the main topics discussed in the conference:

1-     Past and Future: City's Image and Preservation

2-     City Planning: Urbanization and Development

3-     Compact Cities Context at Low and High Densities

4-     Evolving Architecture and Rethinking Cities

5-     Art and Defining the City

Day 1:

Welcoming Session:

The Opening Ceremony started with the online registration and welcoming speeches from the Conference Chair.

First a Presentation about IEREK introducing IEREK as a company and its activities to the audience.

Following IEREK’s introduction, short welcoming speeches were given by the conference chair Professor.

First a Presentation about IEREK introducing IEREK as a company and its activities to the audience.

Following IEREK’s introduction, short welcoming speeches were given by the conference chair Prof. Francesco Alberti  , Department of Architecture (DiDA), University of Florence, Italy, the conference Keynote speaker ,Prof. Francesco Ferrini, Dean of the School of Agriculture of the University of Florence, Italy, the conference Keynotes speaker, Prof. Ferdinando Trapani, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, Polytechnics School at the University of Palermo, Italy, and the IEREK representative, Dr. Abdelaziz Sakr, IEREK representative and Previous General Director, Egypt, A Brief Introduction to IEREK.

Plenary session:

A plenary session followed introducing the first keynote speaker “Prof. Francesco Ferrini”. Dean of the School of Agriculture of the University of Florence, Italy. whose speech was entitled: “How Urban Forestry Can Help in Planning and Managing Future Green Cities for Human Health and Well-Being”.

Following the first keynote’s speech was the second Keynote Speaker Prof. Francesco Alberti, Professor at the Department of Architecture (DiDA), University of Florence, Italy, a speech entitled: “(Civic Design for Making Cities More Sustainable and Resilient)”.

After the second keynote speaker’s speech started the First Session of the conference entitled “Past and Future: City's Image and Preservation” which moderated by Professor Maria Rita Gisotti, University of Florence, Italy and Prof. Elena Tarsi, University of Coimbra, Portugal and Prof.Valeria Monno, Politecnico di Bari, Italy

The session had seven presentations before a short break.

Day 2:

The second day of the conference started with the speech of the third keynote speaker Prof. Sridharan Namperumal, Director of the School of Planning and Architecture, BHOPAL. with a speech entitled: " URBAN EXODUS AND THE REVERSE CONUNDRUM "

After the keynote speech, the second Session started entitled: “City Planning: Urbanization and Development” which was moderated by Professor Prof. Francesco Alberti, University of Florence, Italy, and Prof. Maria Rita Gisotti, University of Florence, Italy And Prof. Elena Tarsi, University of Coimbra, Portugal.

The second session discussed Nine presentations before a short break.

Following the short break, the second session continued. And ten presentations were discussed, then concluded the second day of the conference.

Another seven presentations were discussed following the short break and concluded the first day of the Conference.

Day 3:

The Third day of the conference started with the Third Session entitled: “Evolving Architecture and Reimaging Cities” which was moderated by Professor Prof. Valeria Monno, Politecnico di Bari, Italy, and Prof. Rosa Romano, University of Florence, Italy. The Third session discussed eight presentations.

Following the third session started the fourth Session entitled: “Urban Form and Sustainable Development”. The fourth session discussed six presentations.

A discussion and a Questions and Answers session followed, and the Conference was concluded by a Panel session where final remarks and feedback were discussed.