17/03/2026
We are pleased to announce Professor Vangelis Marinakis as a keynote speaker at IISA 2026, taking place in Greece.
In his keynote, Professor Vangelis Marinakis will address Building Smart and Sustainable Cities: The Athens Paradigm, offering insights that will contribute to meaningful discussion and exchange throughout the conference.
Abstract:
This keynote explores how cities can accelerate their transition toward sustainability and climate resilience, using Athens as a living case study of integrated urban transformation. The presentation highlights how strategic planning, digital tools, energy efficiency policies, renewable energy deployment and climate adaptation measures can be combined into a coherent urban model. Drawing on concrete examples, including smart energy management in municipal buildings, large-scale urban tree planting and micro-climate interventions, energy community initiatives, sustainable mobility actions, and data-informed decision-support platforms, the talk illustrates how Athens is addressing heat stress, energy vulnerability and infrastructure pressures in a dense Mediterranean context.
Beyond technology, the keynote emphasizes governance, institutional coordination and citizen engagement as key drivers of sustainable urban change. It reflects on how local authorities can align climate neutrality, resilience and social equity objectives within a unified strategy, while leveraging European frameworks and partnerships to scale impact. The central message is that smart cities are not defined by digitalization alone, but by their capacity to integrate environmental ambition, policy innovation and human-centered design into a resilient urban ecosystem.
More details about the speakers at: https://easyconferences.eu/iisa2026/speakers"
