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Call for Abstracts for Research Symposium on Urban Transport

1. Introduction

The sixteenth Urban Mobility India Research Symposium (UMI-RS) with focus on “Urban development and Mobility nexus” will be held as part of the 18th Urban Mobility India Conference cum Exhibition 2025 scheduled from the 7th to 9th November 2025 at the Hyatt Regency, Gurugram, Haryana, India. The event would be held under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India and the Research Symposium will be coordinated this year by the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi). The symposium is a platform to highlight the current research activities in urban transport carried out by academic and research institutes, especially by young Indian researchers.

The purpose of the Research Symposium is to:

• Encourage young researchers working in various facets of urban transport to present their research work and provide them an opportunity for networking with fellow researchers and professionals.

• Carryout capacity building of young researchers in the field of urban transport.

• Contribute towards the development and dissemination of research on urban mobility in India and support the identification of key focus areas and emerging priorities in this domain.

• Encourage the idea of developing solutions for Indian conditions indigenously.

2. Who can Participate?

Young Indian researchers are invited to contribute a paper - either individually or in collaboration with co-authors on any of the themes listed below. Interested candidates should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words.

Eligible participants include:

1. Current students enrolled in Undergraduate (UG), Masters or Ph.D. program at any Indian University/Institute.

2. Recent graduates, having completed their degree no earlier than 31st May 2024.

3. The first author/presenting author should fulfil the eligibility criteria mentioned in either point 1 or point 2 above.

3. Themes

(a) Integrated Land Use Transport Planning

Keywords: Travel behavior analysis, mode choice, activity-based models, demand forecasting, discrete choice models, land use integration, TOD, Transport network, accessibility, compact cities, planning tools, sustainable urban growth, traffic simulation, signal control

Research may apply these tools in urban contexts using time-use data and emerging data sources. Explores the relationship between urban form and mobility, with emphasis on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), land-use zoning, and last-mile connectivity. Encourages evaluations of implementation mechanisms and integrated planning frameworks that promote sustainable and accessible cities. Supports research aligned with India’s shift from car-centric growth to compact, transit-focused development. Focuses on understanding travel decisions and forecasting demand using behavioral and econometric methods, including activity-based models and discrete choice frameworks. Also includes integration with machine learning and AI for more accurate and scalable modelling. Focuses on design and optimization of urban transport networks, including adaptive signal control, traffic simulation, and autonomous systems.

(b) Green and Inclusive Mobility

Keywords: Equitable access, gender-sensitive planning, NMT, fuel efficiency, vulnerable groups, sustainability assessments

Promotes mobility systems that are both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive, addressing access for vulnerable groups and promoting non-motorized transport. Includes assessments of transport sustainability across social, environmental, and economic dimensions. Research may cover design interventions, behavioral change, and energy-efficient mobility.

(c) Public Transport Planning and Operations

Keywords: Transit planning, fleet scheduling, demand management, logistics hubs, urban freight, last-mile delivery, ITS, MaaS, real-time data, automated systems, big data, demand responsive transit

Combines the planning and operational aspects of public transport and urban logistics, including metro, buses, and freight systems. Topics include service optimization, financial sustainability, and freight distribution strategies. Encourages research in supply chain efficiency, last-mile logistics, and integration of passenger and goods movement. Addresses the integration of formal and informal transport systems for improved urban mobility. Covers scheduling, ticketing, and infrastructure to support shared mobility and para-transit systems. Emphasizes digital transition, regulatory challenges, and user experience in enabling seamless multimodal transport. Also includes role of digital technology, data driven solutions, automated driving systems and ITS.

(d) Transit Oriented Development

Keywords: Land use zoning, high-density corridors, mixed-use development, last-mile connectivity, affordable housing, access to transit

Focuses on planning and evaluating compact, mixed-use urban development along high-capacity transit corridors. Emphasizes last-mile connectivity, affordable housing near transit hubs, and 3 supportive regulatory mechanisms. Encourages research on implementation frameworks, governance models, and the real-world outcomes of TOD policies in the Indian context.

(e) Electric Mobility

Keywords: Electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, shared micro-mobility, LCA, street design, NMT adoption

Brings together electric mobility and non-motorized transport (NMT), with a focus on infrastructure, lifecycle emissions, and behavioral aspects. Encourages studies on shared e-mobility, cycling, walking, and the urban design principles supporting their adoption. Also includes policies and incentives accelerating EV and NMT deployment.

(f) Road Safety

Keywords: Urban resilience, crash analysis, AVs, network optimization

Includes urban road safety interventions and infrastructure planning for climate resilience and emergency preparedness. Encourages research on adaptive and disruption-ready transport systems.

((g) Multi Modal Integration

Keywords: Seamless connectivity, first-last mile, integrated ticketing, infrastructure design, modal shift, digital platforms

Seeks research on seamless connectivity across various modes of urban transport like public, private, non-motorized, and shared mobility services. Emphasis is on scheduling, ticketing, infrastructure design, first and last mile connectivity, and digital platforms to improve user experience and modal shift.

(h) Micro Mobility (NMT)

Keywords: Walking and cycling, street design, shared micro-mobility, infrastructure standards, NMT adoption

Explores strategies to promote walking, cycling, and other low-speed mobility options. Topics may include street design, infrastructure standards, first/last-mile connectivity, shared micro-mobility services, and behavioral studies on NMT adoption.

Note 1: Abstracts not falling under the above themes are also encouraged to be submitted and can be considered if they are relevant to the “Urban development and Mobility nexus”. Excluded are topics related to pavement design and maintenance; pavement materials; pavement infrastructure systems; intercity and interstate transportation planning; and topics pertaining to aviation, airports, and related air transport systems; harbor and ports.

Note 2: The final sessions will be structured based on the number of papers received and selected for presentation at the symposium. Accepted papers will also be eligible for publication in an indexed conference proceedings. More details about the proceeding’s publication will be communicated around the conference dates.

Note 3: The papers should be strictly based on urban context, and the data used for the study should be specific to India only.

4. Important Dates

Milestones		Dates
Intimation of call for papers (Abstract submission)	-	2^nd June, 2025
Deadline for submission of abstracts	-	25^th June, 2025
Date of intimation to authors about review results	-	20^th July, 2025
Deadline for submission of full papers	-	20^th August, 2025
Intimation of selection of papers and review comments	-	30^th September, 2025
Deadline for submission of revised paper	-	10^th October, 2025
Intimation of final decision (acceptance or rejection) of full paper	-	20^th October, 2025
Deadline for submission of presentations	-	30^th October, 2025
Research Symposium in UMI-RS Conference 2025	-	8^th & 9^th, November, 2025

5. Submission Guidelines

All papers must be original and should not be submitted simultaneously to another Journal or Conference. Submission should be made online on the EasyChair link provided HERE. The abstract submission in EasyChair will open from 2^ndJune, 2025 to 25^thJune, 2025.

To begin the submission process, authors are required to provide their details along with the paper's title, abstract, and keywords. The abstract should be a concise summary of the paper, limited to a maximum of 500 words. The authors should provide 4 keywords in English. The keywords must be relevant and restricted to the core themes of the submission. Upon selection, authors will be asked to submit the complete paper in pdf format corresponding to the chosen abstract.

Note: Please provide complete information of all the authors. In case of incomplete information, the entry shall not be accepted.

Intimation of the acceptance (tentative) or rejection of the abstract shall be communicated via email by 20 ^th July, 2025 after which the authors would need to submit the full paper by 20^thAugust, 2025. The guidelines for the submission of full paper will be communicated along with information about the selection of the abstracts. Intimation of the acceptance (tentative) or rejection of the full papers along with the review comments will be communicated by email by 30^st September, 2025. Thereafter, the authors need to submit the revised papers addressing the review comments by 10^th October, 2025. Intimation of final acceptance or rejection of the full papers [along with mode of presentation (oral or poster) for the accepted full papers] for the UMI-RS conference will be communicated by email by 20^th October, 2025. The selected authors will have to submit the full presentation of papers shortlisted for oral mode (as per the UMI-RS format) by 30^th October, 2025. Please note that the full paper for oral or poster presentation will not be distinguished based on the quality of papers (from review results) but would be decided purely based on logistical considerations at the conference venue. The authors of full papers (in poster mode) will have to bring the hard copy of their posters (as per the UMI-RS format) to the conference venue. However, they will be required to submit the soft copy of their poster by 20^th October, 2025.

6. General Information

Expense Reimbursement for national participants

Young Indian researchers whose papers are selected for presentation in the research symposium shall be reimbursed the following costs for any one young research author against production of valid tickets:

• Travel by rail limited to AC- II tier or AC Bus (Public / Private) up to 500 km.

• Economy Class Air Fare for more than 500 km.

• Out of pocket expense of Rs. 5,000/- per presenter.

Participants shall have to make their own arrangements for boarding, lodging and local travel in Gurugram.

Contact Details

All queries regarding submission of Abstract /Paper, etc., should be emailed to Prof. Manoj M., Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Delhi at umi2025.iitd@gmail.com.

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