Preface

Abstract

World urban demographics in 2019 have recorded that 55.7% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, of which 57% are in Asia. As the fourth largest population globally, Indonesia has 55.2% of the urban population and still faces uneven population distribution. Some cities are recorded with a density of more than 10,000 people / km2. In some areas, the buildings are very dense and unstructured. Moreover, the lack of proper land-use planning also leads to urban slums. The trend of rising local temperatures in various metropolitan cities with high density has led to urban heat islands’ formation. This is exacerbated by the lack of urban hazard mitigation instruments involving regional regulations such as zoning and land use. Population growth that increases vulnerability and exposure to the effects of climate change will cause cities to suffer heavy losses.Sustainable, Environment and Architecture (SENVAR) is an annual conference that offered the platform to share the idea, research, and study of urban environmental changes. In 2020, SENVAR held its 20th conference, which was also known as SENVAR20. With the theme of “Urban Retrofitting: Building, Cities, and Communities in the Disruptive Era,” SENVAR20 provided a link between the spatial and socio-economic aspects of the urban environment to mitigate the hazards of the vulnerability of the urban environment. This conference facilitated scholars, researchers, practitioners, decision-makers, students, and stakeholders, as well as city activists, to collaborate in an integrated discussion. Organized by Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), the conference was supported by The Ministry of Research and Technology / BRIN and the International Building Performance Simulation Association- Indonesia Chapter (IBPSA-ID).Originally, SENVAR20 was planned to be held in Bandung, Indonesia, where UPI, as the organizers’ institution, was located. However, due to the COVID19 pandemic precautions and the government’s travel restrictions in many countries, SENVAR20 was held virtually instead. We decided to carry out the conference instead of postponing it because the pandemic opened the opportunity for the conference participants to discuss how the pandemic is affecting the sustainable built environment and vice versa. It became the starting point for the community to adjust and respond to the recent pressing issues and the new normal caused by the pandemic.SENVAR20 was conducted virtually on November 10, 2020, using the Zoom Conference platform. It was also being broadcasted live via the UPI Department of Architectural Education’s YouTube Channel and Facebook. Despite being held online to avoid face-to-face encounters, the conference managed to gather 270 participants from 14 countries: Indonesia, the UAE, the USA, Malaysia, Thailand, Argentina, Japan, Australia, Germany, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Korea. As the conference was conducted virtually, we managed to deliver the conference efficiently in a timely manner. To make the most of our time, we provided 12 breakout rooms divided according to conference topics. All authors and presenters were given equal opportunity in the plenary session to present their ideas by using 10 minutes pre-recorded video in the zoom’s breakout rooms. It was then followed by live discussions/QnA sessions moderated by appointed scholars from various institutions and expertise. To our delight, being separated by space and time differences did not deter the participants from being actively engaged in the discussion.Considering SENVAR20 being the first SENVAR Conference held virtually, it was successfully conducted due to the cooperation and enthusiasm of all parties involved. Therefore, we would like to sincerely thank the authors, reviewers, participants, and the team of organizers who have contributed to the success of SENVAR20.Conference Chair of SENVAR20Beta ParamitaList of Organizing Committee available in this pdf.