The fifth edition of the International Conference on “Cities’ Identity Through Architecture and Arts” was held virtually in collaboration with the University of Pisa in Italy on the 13th and 14th of December due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The Conference discussed several topics regarding different vocabularies, such as sacred architecture, heritage buildings, open spaces, landmarks, street escapes, etc.

The Conference topics attracted scientists, architects, cultural preservation enthusiasts, and researchers to discuss their papers and come up with possible solutions to solve the problems of the identity of cities.

Among the main topics discussed in the Conference:

1. Identifying and Shaping Cities and Formation
2. Heritage Arts: Sustainability, Identities, and Public Regulations
3. Contemporary Arts: City Visual Arts and Visualization
4. Development of the Cities’ Vocabularies

 Day 1:

Welcoming Session:

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

A Presentation about IEREK followed, introducing IEREK and its activities to the audience.

Following this introduction, short welcoming speeches were given by the Conference Chair, Professor Luca Lanini, University of Pisa, Architectural and Urban Design, and Prof. Ferdinando Trapani, Professor of Urban Planning, Department of Architecture, University of Palermo; Coordinator of the Italian Academic Alliance with IEREK.

Plenary session:

A plenary session followed, introducing the first keynote speaker, Professor Federico Bilò, Ph.D. (VII cycle), and Associate Professor of Architectural and Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture in Pescara, whose speech was entitled: “Portraying and interpreting the city: two case studies.” Afterwards, the second keynote speaker, Professor Claudia Sansò, Ph.D. in Architectural and Urban Composition at the DiARC, University of Naples Federico II, whose speech was entitled: “Forma Urbis / Imago Urbis. Cities' identity through sacred space,” was introduced.

After the keynote speech, was the First Session of the Conference entitled: “City Formation and Identification.” The session was moderated by Professor Laura Terrone, Architect and Ph.D. student at Sapienza University of Rome; Professor Michele Pellino, Architect and Ph.D. student at Sapienza University of Rome and member of the “StandardF-AU Research Group” of the University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli,” and Professor Giada Bartolini, Ph.D. student in Construction Engineering at the Department of Energy, System, Territory, and Construction Engineering at Pisa University.

Day 2:

The second day of the conference started with the speech of the remaining keynote speaker, Professor Federica Morgia, Architect, Associate Professor, and Ph.D. in Architectural and Urban Design, entitled: “Rome. A Palimpsest of Identities between Past and Future.”

After the keynote speech, the Second Session started and was moderated by Professor Nabil Mohareb, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt, and Professor Nicola Cavalagli, Researcher, PhD. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia. The Second Session discussed five presentations before a short break.

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