The City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Sydney is hosting the 20th International Conference on Computational Urban Planning and Urban Management. Submissions are now open. We are inviting book chapters, conference papers and posters that ask how artificial intelligence is changing the way cities are planned, built, governed and lived in.
Conference Theme: Future Cities in the Era of AI
Cities are now sites of intense experimentation with artificial intelligence. Generative models are entering planning practice, machine learning is reshaping urban analytics, computer vision is being deployed at scale on streetscapes, and large language models are mediating how residents interact with government services. The promises are large; so are the questions about data, accountability, labour, equity and the kinds of urban futures these tools assume.
CUPUM 2027 invites the international urban computing community to take stock of this moment. We are particularly interested in work that pairs technical rigour with critical reflection: studies that build, deploy and evaluate AI tools in real urban settings, and studies that interrogate what those tools are doing to planning practice, urban governance and city life.
What we are looking for
We welcome work that is technical, applied, methodological, theoretical or critical, and combinations of these. Suggested topic areas include:
Artificial intelligence for urban contexts: generative AI and large language models, machine and deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing, AI ethics, fairness, accountability and governance, and human-AI collaboration in planning
Urban models and simulation: land-use and transport modelling, agent-based models, cellular automata, network models, microsimulation, space syntax
Digital planning and urban management: digital twins, governance at national, regional and local scales, collective intelligence, public participation, scenario planning
There are three submission options. All submissions are peer-reviewed. At least one author of an accepted submission must register for, and attend the conference.
Book chapter
(4,000 to 6,000 words plus oral presentation).
Selected chapters will be included in the CUPUM 2027 conference book, published by TU Delft OPEN Publishing. A long abstract of maximum of 500 words is mandatory prior to the full chapter submission.
Conference paper
(1,500 to 2,000 words extended abstract plus oral presentation).
Accepted papers are published in an online conference proceedings repository.
Poster
250 word abstract plus participation in the poster session, both virtual and in person.
All dates are indicative and will be confirmed on this page. Sign up to the City Futures mailing list to be notified when dates are finalised.
4 September 2026: Long abstracts for book chapters due (max. 500 words)
18 September 2026: Feedback on long abstracts
23 October 2026: Book chapter drafts due
18 December 2026: Book chapter feedback
29 January 2027: Revised book chapter submission
12 February 2027: Short conference paper and poster submissions due
23 February 2027: Conference registration opens
20 April 2027: Early-bird registration closes
18 June 2027: Revised papers and full digital posters due
5-10 July: CUPUM 2027 in Sydney
Registration
Registration is expected to open in February 2027. Fees will be set in Australian dollars and will offer early-bird and full rates for academic, research students, and industry, government and third-sector participants.
Final rates will be published as the conference budget is confirmed.
