On October 2 - 3, 2024, the 12th annual international conference DIM 2024 – Urban Transport Infrastructure with the subtitle Smart Solutions was held at the University of Žilina. The conference was traditionally organized by the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Road and Environmental Engineering, together with the Slovak Road Association and the Transport Research Centre, under the auspices of the Rector of the University of Žilina, prof. Ing. Ján Čelko, CSc., the President of the Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia, the President of the Žilina Self-Governing Region and the Mayor of City of Žilina, and in the presence of the State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic, the President of the Association of Construction Entrepreneurs of Slovakia and the First Deputy Mayor of the capital city.
The main aim of the conference was to discuss current transport issues in cities and municipalities and their possible improvement with an emphasis on smart solutions. Representatives from municipalities and the business sector presented current challenges that cities and municipalities face regarding the quality of transportation infrastructure, financing, management and maintenance of urban roads. The most resonant topics included measuring outdoor air quality using sensor networks as a crucial issue for sustainable urban development, changes in legislation regarding the urban road design and urban planning as well as parking policy, which are emerging as one of the biggest current problems for cities and municipalities.
In addition to discussion panels, the conference featured 17 expert presentations in three sessions, focusing on urban transport issues, parking, and sustainable development, which attracted great interest from participants.
The conference welcomed 170 participants and several tens students from the University of Žilina. Representatives from 24 municipalities, 23 companies, 3 self-governing regions, 3 ministries, 6 universities, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, and others attended.
The successful course of the conference was ensured by the organizers with the support of industry partners. Special thanks were extended to the main partners – Valbek SK, spol. s r. o., IS - Industry Solutions, a.s., Innovation Center INOVIA, ALAM s.r.o., IoMobility Solutions s.r.o., DAQE Slovakia, s.r.o., INSET s.r.o., EMcard, a. s., TransData s.r.o., ParkDots s.r.o., Easypark, Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute and media partners Silniční obzor, Pozor, zákruta!, MAGAZÍN, Veda na dosah.