Sustainable Infrastructure and Cities conference
Event
Conference dates 24th to 26th May 2023 – Sir James Matthews Building, Guildhall Square, Southampton
With EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Infrastructure Systems, University of Southampton, CDT Sustainable Infrastructure for Cities and UKCRIC – UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure and Cities
The conference was free to attend and open to all postgraduate students, early career researchers, academics and industry partners.
There was an opportunity for postgraduate researchers to present recent research and development related to sustainable infrastructure and cities to an audience of peers and other interested parties. We actively encouraged oral and poster presentations from postgraduate students from Centres for Doctoral Training and research groups linked to UKCRIC institutions who are part of the UKCRIC Doctoral Skills Network.
25th May – iPACT sponsored the conference evening reception onboard the historic Steamship Shieldhall with a cruise of the Solent open to invited guests from industry and local government, iPACT network members and conference delegates.
This venue was chosen to showcase the engineering heritage of Southampton, as well as viewing the port, town quay and other sights in the Solent. Our guests were excited to experience this as well as spending time with colleagues and friends on a sunny evening.
Steamship Shieldhall is the largest working steamship in Britain taking passengers along the Solent waters to experience the golden age of steam and see the city of Southampton from a different viewpoint. A member of the National Historic Fleet she serves as a sea going tribute to Britain’s maritime heritage. Operated by a team of dedicated volunteers, rightly proud of Shieldhall’s history and place in theheritage of Southampton water. As part of our Shieldhall experience, we saw the impressive engine room with its original steam engines at work and the bridge, with its traditional instruments and gleaming brasswork; admired the ship’s steam assisted steering gear (similar to that used on Titanic); talked to the Captain and our crew and listened to the commentary as we passed the sights of Southampton Water and the Solent.
Shieldhall was purchased by the Southern Water Authority in 1977. After minor modifications, she carried sludge from Marchwood, Millbrook and Woolston in Southampton to an area south of the Isle of Wight for five years from 1980. Rising fuel prices and operating costs led to her being withdrawn from service and laid up in July 1985. As a result of an initiative by the Southampton City Museum Services, a preservation society was formed with the aim of acquiring and preserving the ship in operation. Shieldhall was purchased from Southern Water in 1988, for £20,000 – this represented her ‘scrap value.’
26th May ‘Adapting the old and innovating the new’
UKCRIC hosted sessions to discuss current research projects and network including keynote speakers from SUSInet Network+ projects: Infrastructure for Port-Cities and Coastal Towns iPACT, Reclaiming Forgotten Cities ReCLAIM and a Green, Connected, Prosperous Britain GCPB
iPACT (Prof William Powrie, University of Southampton)
RECLAIM (Mark Simmons/ Dr Sisay Debele University of Surrey)
A Green, Connected and Prosperous Britain (Prof Sandra Dudley-McEvoy, London South Bank University)
SUSINet panel discussion and audience Q&A Chaired by Prof David Richards
Roundtable group discussions and workshop to discuss possible joint research projects and ideas that cross the different networks. Themes included: digital connectivity in cities, better use of green and blue environment, access to the waterfront, cleaner air at the port (using shore power/ local sustainable power e.g. solar at docks), digital heritage tour of the waterfront.
