By the morning of Monday March 23^rd 2020, cities and urban centers around the world were in shock; empty, vacant, silent, and frozen in time. A few weeks earlier, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic, triggering a host of preventive measures and leading governments to enforce lock-downs on civic activities. Within days, 1.7 billion people from 188 countries were “on lock-down” and by the first week of April, 3.9 billion people encountered travel and movement restrictions. Although the impact of COVID-19  is new to this generation, plagues and pandemics are frequent phenomena that historically occurred in overpopulated urban centers –  ideal environments for viral transmissions. Pandemics need direct contacts and thrive on excessively mobile and fast-moving urban life. 

The global response to the pandemic used novel terms like ‘social distancing’ and ‘Stay-at-Home Orders’, and within days governments forced Orwellian responses that have been authoritative, firm, and effective. Digital infrastructure buckled under the rapid change in daily routines and an increased demand for virtual connectivity. With cities and civic life at a standstill, homes transformed and took on multiple roles to fulfill new purposes. Alternative systems emerged facilitated by cloud environments. Virtual workspaces, e-learning, e-health, e-shopping, web meetings, tutorials and coffee mornings became standard fare. Yet amid the fear and chaos, our cities became greener, quieter, and cleaner. This pandemic is bringing new waves of change in regulations, design, planning, and how we connect and communicate. Multiple agendas are meeting in the discussion of the fallout; ‘healthy cities,’ ‘smart homes’, and ‘carbon-neutral urban centers’ versus worrying signs of surveillance, policing, contagion, and  anomie. New patterns of behavior are emerging and changes in our life and work are underway.  This present situation leaves us with a number of key questions on the future of cities and urban communities. 

As an organization dedicated to increasing our understanding of place, tradition, and change, the staff at the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE) and our partners at Nottingham Trent University are pleased to host a live symposium with four seminal scholars and practitioners who will try to answer a series of questions in an attempt to further the discourse on the post-pandemic city.  They bring a deep knowledge of ancient history, digital media, contemporary design, and cultural heritage and their voices will help us develop a better understanding of what this pandemic means to the future of our cities. 

1. What modes of disruptive traditions that occurred during the pandemic might shape new urban patterns and should we embrace this change? 
2. How will traffic flows shift? Will the flow of people towards urban centers for work, shopping, and entertainment be reversed towards more rural, isolated, and protected communities?  
3. How will practices such as architecture and design adjust to new norms of urban tradition? Will that influence our perception of density and our decision of where we live?
4. How will we engage with heritage, history, and culture in more mobile, spatially disconnected, and virtual environments?
5. How much will virtual environments (workspace, education, culture, and tourism) contribute to more intelligent cities? Greener cities? 

DATE & TIME 
Saturday, September 5^th 2020
14:00 – 16:30 GMT

14:00 – 14:10	Introduction
	Professor Mark Gillem, PhD, FAIA, FAICP IASTE President, Director, Urban Design Lab, The University of Oregon, USA
14:10 – 14:25	On Disruptions in Cultural and Urban Heritage
	Professor Neil Silberman University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
14:25 – 14:40.	On Disruptions in Art and Cultural Practices
	Professor Sarah Kenderdine École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
14:40 – 14:55	On Disruptions in Architectural Design and Practice
	Ms. Julia Barfield, MBE RIBA FS Marks Barfield Architects, UK
14:55 – 15:10	On Disruptions in History and Archaeology
	Professor Michael Scott University of Warwick, UK
15:10 – 15:20	Virtual Coffee Break
15:20 – 16:25	Roundtable Discussion
Moderator:	Professor Mohamed Gamal Abdelmonem Director, The Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage Nottingham Trent University, UK
Discussants:	Professor Nezar AlSayyad University of California, Berkeley, IASTE Founder & Past-President, USA
	Jeff Cody, PhD Senior Project Specialist, Building&Sites Department, The Getty Conservation Institute, USA
	Dr. Montira Horayanagura Unakul IASTE Vice President , National Professional Officer, UNESCO, Thailand
16:25 – 16:30	Closing
	Professor Hesham Issa IASTE Secretary, USA , Cairo University, Egypt