Future Cities Symposium 2025: Nov 14-15 @ Hong Kong, Nov 17 @ Dubai

The symposium will theme at “Innovate to Elevate through Digital Urbanism”, which highlights the pivotal role of innovation and technology play in reshaping urban environments. By focusing Mobility, Construction, and Innovation, this theme underscores the necessity of collaborative efforts in creating sustainable and efficient ecosystem.

Jointly organised by HKU’s Joint Lab on Future Cities (JLFC) and the Royal College of Art’s Future Cities Lab, and the strategic partners, the symposium will translate years of academic research regarding the development of future cities, from Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area to GCC countries and the UK and EU countries, into actionable insights for industry leaders, policymakers, and an international delegation, fostering a dialogue that moves from theoretical discovery to practical, ethical, and regenerative implementation. Through targeted exhibitions, presentations, and networking forums, the symposium will connect these innovators with a global audience of policymakers, industry leaders, and investors, showcasing the tangible value and commercial potential of interdisciplinary academic collaboration.

The symposium has invited more than 40 prominent international speakers, 30 engaging showcase exhibitors, and 300 participants from diverse industries. The date, venue, and registration information are as follows:

Official website: https://www.fcsymposium.com/

Date: Nov 14,&15 (Hong Kong), Nov 17 (Dubai)

Venue: CyberArena, Cyberport & Motto by Hilton Hong Kong SoHo (Hong Kong), Palace Downtown (Dubai)

Registration link: https://www.fcsymposium.com/price

INSTR2023: The 9th International Symposium on Transport Network Resilience

The 9th International Symposium on Transport Network Resilience (INSTR) was held at InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong from Dec 13-14, 2023. Four keynote speeches were delivered by Prof. Hani Mahmassani (Northwestern University), Prof. Yu-Chiun Chiou (National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University), Prof. Fumitaka Kurauchi (Gifu University), and Prof. William H.K. Lam (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) on Dec 13 morning. In this symposium, more than 80 presentations were given in 29 parallel sessions, covering the analysis, planning, design, control, and management of transport networks. Prof. Michael Bell (Convenor of INSTR2023) and Dr. Jintao Ke (Co-chair of INSTR2023) gave closing speeches, followed by a welcoming remark by Prof. Nour-Eddin El Faouzi and Dr. Angelo Furno (Co-chairs of INSTR2026).

Student Seminar by Dr. Zhenwei Gong on Nov 4, 2025, 1PM

Title: Urban logistics system design with truck-drone collaborative delivery

Speaker: Dr. Zhenwei Gong (Department of Data and Systems Engineering)

Date: Nov 4, 2025 (Tuesday)

Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Venue: Room 8-28, Haking Wong Building, The University of Hong Kong

Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/r/UzVxX5SgF9

ITS Student Committee will provide light refreshments and drinks for registered participants.

Abstract: This study investigates the optimal design of truck-drone urban delivery systems by comparing three truck-drone collaborative schemes, i.e., alternating truck-drone (ATD), zonal truck-drone (ZTD), and two-tier truck-drone (TTD), against the traditional truck-only (TO) operations. We formulate a system cost minimization problem that accounts for both logistics carrier expenses (including travel distance, fleet costs, and makespan) and customer-related costs (order accumulation time, delivery time, and walking time). The optimization determines key decision variables, i.e., delivery headway, truck fleet size, drone fleet size, service sector partitioning, and mini-depot, to achieve efficient operations under varying demand and service region scales. Numerical results demonstrate that collaborative schemes consistently outperform TO delivery, with ZTD emerging as the most cost-effective solution due to its spatial workload partitioning strategy. ATD provides moderate cost reductions, while TTD excels in service quality by minimizing customer waiting times through its hierarchical mini-depot network. Sensitivity analyses reveal that truck-drone systems maintain robust performance even under fluctuating cost parameters, whereas TO operations suffer from poor scalability in large urban areas. These findings highlight that truck-drone collaboration is not only economically advantageous but also essential for meeting modern logistics demands, offering superior efficiency, flexibility, and customer satisfaction compared to conventional approaches. The study provides actionable insights for logistics operators in selecting optimal delivery strategies based on cost, service, and infrastructure priorities.

Bios: Dr. Zhenwei Gong earned his Ph.D. in September 2025 from the Department of Data and Systems Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He had previously received his Master's degree from HKU in 2021 and his Bachelor's degree from Nanjing Normal University (NNU) in 2020. His research centers on transportation economics, analytics, and optimization, with a particular focus on civil aviation and low-altitude air transportation systems. Dr. Gong has been recognized with several honors and awards, including the HKSTS Outstanding Student Paper Award (2024), the CTS Best Paper Award (2025), and the Chu Tsun Hong Scholarship for Outstanding Research Achievement. His research has been published in leading transportation journals such as Transportation Research Part B and Transport Policy, and has presented his work at major international conferences, including the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, the International Conference of the Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies (HKSTS), and the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) World Conference.