Introductory Note

Together, these two groups of problems present us with an extensive list of pressing urban challenges: land subsidence and soil degradation, noise and visual pollution, air pollution and dust storms, traffic congestion and transportation issues, the housing crisis, concerns related to culture, urban economy, and sustainable municipal budgeting, urban resilience, population growth and migration, and the need for a future-oriented outlook on city development. In the face of these complex, intertwined issues, there is no solution but to rely on scientific theories, applied research, and the insights of scholars and experts.

To solve urban problems, we must adopt innovative and creative approaches. Moving toward concepts such as smart cities and leveraging the new capacities that artificial intelligence offers to managers and experts enables timely and effective analysis of challenges and the development of impactful solutions and this is inevitable.

The Tehran Urban Planning and Research Center, building on the experience of organizing sixteen rounds of the "Festival of Research and Innovation in Urban Management," is now preparing to hold the seventeenth edition. This effort aims not only to encourage outstanding and innovative researchers but also to make optimal use of the results of research and innovations presented by professors and scholars in the field of urban management.

The engagement of the nation's foremost researchers and scholars across diverse disciplines is anticipated to play a significant role in accomplishing the principal objectives of the 17th festival. This collaborative effort aims to contribute to the advancement of the metropolitan areas within Islamic Iran.

Festival Secretary
Alireza Rahaei