Workshop description
The study of urban systems has a long tradition in disciplines such architecture, geography, civil engineering, economy, etc. However, the pervasive introduction of information technologies summed up to the recent advances in complexity science are opening new research opportunities in this highly multidisciplinary field. The new technologies provide citizens with the material to take more informed decisions (e.g., regarding their travel behavior, energy and resources consumption habits, etc.), as well as leading to new forms of social relationships and to the introduction of new activities such as e-shopping and teleworking. At the same time, the penetration of ICT is turning individuals into passive and/or active ‘sensors’ that produce, exchange and consume an increasing amount of information, generating a variety of heterogeneous data on citizens’ preferences and behavior. As we move, travel, shop, etc., we leave e-footprints informing on our needs, choices and opinions. This feedback loop is modifying urban dynamics, as well as opening new opportunities for understanding such dynamics and developing new approaches to the design and management of urban systems. In recent years, research on the analysis of non-conventional data sources has begun to jump from academia to industry and public administration, and the interest in new data-driven applications and decision-making tools for infrastructure and strategic planning is growing every day both in private and public sectors.
Following a series of successful satellites organised at previous ECCS/CCS events, (UrbanNet2013 at ECCS13, CitiNet 2014 at ECCS14, UrbanNet2015 at NetSci 2015, UrbanNet2016 at CCS2016), the objective of the UrbanNet2017 satellite of CCS2017 is to create a space for exchanging state-of-the-art results and innovative ideas on how to address the problems and opportunities opened by smart cities through complex systems theory and methodologies. In this sense, we have launched a call for contributions for the satellite. Particular attention will be devoted to new data-driven approaches for improving the planning and management of urban infrastructures, including land use, transportation, energy and tourism planning, to mention some examples.
Keywords:
Urban planning, transport, mobility, tourism, energy, smart city, ICT, data analytics, urban modelling.