Panels & Roundtables

We are organizing high-quality panel sessions and round tables for both academic and professionals on subjects related to infrastructures for eco cities.

Relevant topics will include, but are not necessarily limited to:

  • Global cities and global city regions

    • Andrew Thornley, London School of Economics
    • Peter Newman, Westminister University

What are the characteristics of global cities and global city regions? How have various global cities or near-global cities developed in the past decade, and how will they develop in the future? What does it take for cities to become global cities?

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  • Eco-city concepts and approaches

    • Wim Ravesteijn, Delft University of Technology
    • Meine Pieter van Dijk, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education

What visions, concepts and conceptual models have been developed for eco-cities? What eco-city indicators have evolved in various cities and countries around the world? What do they look like? To what extent are they universal and to what extent context-specific? How are they – or could they be – integrated in systems of indicators and in planning approaches? How do they work? What lessons can be drawn from their application in practice?

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  • Sustainable transport infrastructures

    • Xi Bao, Harbin Institute of Technology
    • Mu Rui, Delft University of Technology

Many global cities, especially in Asia, are growing fast, motorization is growing even faster. Planes and cars, however popular, will often lead to unsustainable solutions in the long run. What new sustainable transport concepts and solutions have been developed for (global) eco-cities? What are examples and experiences in this field?

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  • Sustainable urban energy systems: concepts and policy approaches

    • Liang Dapeng, Harbin Institute of Technology
    • Aad Correlje, Delft University of Technology

Many new developments are taking place in the field of sustainable energy development which can be utilized when developing eco cities. Among them are solar energy, wind energy, and smart grid development. In combination, these can often lead to a dramatic reduction in the use of traditional fuel resources. What can their role be in eco city development? How can new cities and districts absorb the latest knowledge and technology in this field?

  • Sustainable urban energy systems: modelling approaches

    • Koen van Dam, Delft University of Technology
    • James Keirstead, Imperial College

To support decision makers in choosing policies or investments, models need to be built with which various scenarios for sustainable energy systems can be explored. Modelling of urban energy systems poses some specific challenges: the models have to be able to capture both the physical and social networks that exist in cities, and they have to include a wide range of infrastructure systems including transport, power, gas and heat. Models of individual infrastructures are being used, but to assess the energy use of an urban plan or city layout, for example, a systems perspective is required. Furthermore, to study the effects of interactions between infrastructures (e.g. waste water from power plants being used for district heating, electricity generated with microCHP in houses to power small businesses) we need a cross-sectoral view. What are the implications on model building and decision support? What paradigms, tools and theories can be applied to modelling urban energy systems?

  • Sustainable water infrastructure and management

    • Vladan Babovic, National University of Singapore
    • Theo Toonen, Delft University of Technology

Water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource, the careful management of which is vital to the citizen’s well-being. This is true both in terms of water resource management and in terms of sanitation services. What problems are different regions experiencing and what policy solutions have been found to deal with them?

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  • Strategic asset management

    • Kerry Brown, Southern Cross University
    • Joop Koppejan, Delft University of Technology
    • Martijn Leijten, Delft University of Technology
    • Paulien Herder, Delft University of Technology

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Infrastructure owners are increasingly adopting asset management strategies to improve the performance of their physical infrastructure networks. Asset management has the potential to contribute to sustainable infrastructure networks, e.g. by using a whole of life cycle approach. However, the effectiveness of these strategies is often limited by 1) the lack of embedding of the decision making regarding specific assets in the governance of the infrastructure as a whole and 2) the lack of coherence between infrastructure network management and asset management on the one hand and tendering and contracting practices regarding specific design, construction, maintenance and operation activities on the other. Panel 1: Asset Management and Contracting: towards a Whole Life Cycle Approach to Infrastructure Networks. Panel 2: Life Cycle Asset Management: incorporating operational and stakeholder issues.

Read more in the PDF file.

  • Modeling the complexity of the evolving eco city

    • Yuval Portugali, Tel Aviv University

When the combined effects of how infrastructures impact on the operations of districts, cities or city regions, many factors must be combined. The evolutionary consequences of these interactions can only be understood with the help of advanced gaming and/or simulation techniques.

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  • Infrastructure  regulation, governance and management around the world

    • Darryl Jarvis , National University of Singapore
    • Martin de Jong, Delft University of Technology / Harbin Institute of Technology

There is a growing body of knowledge on the cross-national comparison of institutional frameworks and policy styles on how governments, authorities and regulators regulate, govern and manage the utility industries and the quality of service provision. This session aims top capitalise on these insights and covers aspects of  institutional and regulatory frameworks, innovative contracting  practices,  opportunistic and strategic behaviour, safeguarding and trading off public values and streamlining investments towards more sustainable urban transport, energy, telecom, waste and water infrastructure facilities.  Both theoretical contributions, in-depth national studies and cross-national comparisons will be warmly welcomed.

  • Eco-innovation and regional development
    • Fangzhu Zhang, Cardiff University
    • Philip Cooke, Cardiff University

Today, eco-innovation is considered important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in mitigating global warming and enhancing economic competitiveness. It is a key part of the economic recovery plans of many countries following the present global economic crisis and it is expected to embody effective technology for sustainable national and regional development. It requires strategic regional innovation systems support, including industrial, environmental and regional development policies. This session will examine to what extent and through what processes the greening of sectors is stimulated and how innovation may lead transition to new ‘green economy’. The core questions are: What are the respective roles of governments and markets in the development of eco-innovation? How can sustainable environmental transition be enhanced in Shenzhen region? Can Shenzen proceed to build a global eco-innovation platform on its global manufacturing base?

  • Gaming-simulation for infrastructure development

    • Ivo Wenzler,  Delft University of Technology / Accenture
    • Igor Mayer, Delft University of Technology
    • Qiqi Zhou, Delft University of Technology

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In this track we aim to explore innovations in the field of (serious) gaming-simulation and examine its use and usefulness for city and infrastructure planning, in Western and Asian planning cultures.

Gaming-simulation for urban and infrastructure planning is an established field of practice since the 50s. Recent innovations in (commercial) game and simulation technology (e.g. 3D virtualization and human-computer interaction) provide new ways to combine advanced computer simulation with ‘playful’ human interaction. This is also referred to as serious gaming or applied gaming, i.e. the use of computer (supported) games for planning, learning, public policy making, etc

  • Integrated Infrastructures for Sustainable Cities

    • Thorsten Schuetze, Delft University of Technology
    • Jurgen Rosemann, National University of Singapore

Cities are complex living environments consisting of buildings and infrastructures. The remodeling of existing cities or the construction of new cities according to sustainability criteria requires an integrated approach, considering synergies between different infrastructures as well as the natural and the built environment. How can different infrastructures, e.g. for water management, energy supply, communication and transport be combined with each other in a sustainable way? Which are the possibilities for the remodeling and new construction of buildings and districts and the related infrastructures in an integrated way? What are the advantages of integrated infrastructures? What are the opportunities and challenges, which are related to the integrated design, planning, construction, operation and management of integrated infrastructure systems for Ecocities?

  • Enhancing resilience through infrastructural integration: from software to hardware

    • Soon-Thiam Khu, University of Surrey

Most existing utility infrastructure are buried underground: despite the advantages that buried infrastructure brought (such as non-intrusiveness, aesthetics, less prone to accidental damages, etc.), placing them underground continues to pose a variety of different challenges to utility operators, and stakeholders. The challenges are especially acute since these infrastructures are expected to last for decades, if not for centuries, as attest by the still functioning Victorian water pipes in London.

Resilience can be defined as the ability of a system to withstand shock or threats and yet continue to function. Our underground infrastructures undergo constant physical, chemical and biological attacks, and there is an increasing need to ensure that these physical assets are to survive and perform well in an increasingly uncertain future. This necessitates existing physical assets and new assets becoming more adaptable through new ways of construction, using new materials, and through integration at all levels: from design, control and decision system support systems (software) to physically integrating via common conduits or sharing of physical functions. The workshop session will attempt bring together research expertise as well as practicing engineers to discuss and debate new forms of infrastructural integration, in order to create resilient next generation infrastructure.