October 4-8, 2027
VANCOUVER, CANADA
Paving the Road to a Cleaner Future

CALL FOR PAPERS

CALL FOR PAPERS NOW OPEN!

For this 28th edition, PIARC is calling for individual contributions on selected topics in order to enrich and broaden the views and work of its Technical Committees and Task Forces.

The papers should present case studies, research results and/or practical experiences related to the topics of this call.

Papers will be reviewed by the Technical Committees and Task Forces. Papers that are accepted will be published in the Congress proceedings and will provide input into the Congress sessions. All authors of accepted papers will present their work and results at interactive poster sessions. Some outstanding contributions will be selected for an oral presentation during the Congress.

CALL FOR PAPERS SUBMISSION TOPICS

STRATEGIC THEME 1 - ROAD ADMINISTRATION

1. The Transport Agency of the Future

2. Public Value Creation by Transport Agencies

3. Creating and attracting the Workforce of the Future

4. Integrating community and Indigenous Perspectives into Transport Projects

5. Green Frameworks

6. Resilient Transport Planning

7. Transparency and Digitalization in Road Finance, Procurement, and Infrastructure Delivery

8. Environmental Due Diligence, Sustainable Finance and Resilience in Road PPPs

9. Procurement for Sustainability, Resilience, and Technological Transition in Road Infrastructure

10. Climate Change and Other Hazards – Understanding Organizational Resilience for Road Networks Facing Natural Hazards

11. Climate Change and Other Hazards – Frameworks and Methodologies for Assessing & Planning Resilience of Road Networks

12. Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction and Infrastructure Resilience

13. Building Back Better in Practice: Technology for Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction

14. Advancing Road Resilience for Extreme Events: Collaboration and Cooperation

15. Roads for Accessibility and Equitable Mobility in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas

16. Evaluating Impacts and Challenges of Carbon-Neutral Cities Policies in Urban and Peri-Urban Road Networks

17. Accessibility and Mobility in Rural and Interurban Areas

18. Sustainable Development of Rural and Interurban Roads Networks

19. AI, Automation, and Innovation for Road Freight

20. Reducing Road Freight Environmental Impacts and Improvement of Road Safety

21. Fair Valuing of Road Freight for Better Decision-Making and for Innovative Funding

22. Network-Wide Transport Planning to Improve Intermodal Freight Effectiveness

23. Road Network Operations at a Turning Point: Digital Transformation and ITS for Sustainable Mobility

24. AI for Road Network Operations: Opportunities, Challenges and Practical Pathways

25. Digital Infrastructure and Connectivity: Enabling Bidirectional Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) Communication

26. Infrastructure Support Levels and ODD Management: Defining the Interaction Between Road and Automated Vehicles

27. Governance, Economic Models, and Equity in the Deployment of Automated Mobility

28. Innovative Approaches to Road Safety Management

29. Use of Artificial Intelligence for Proactive Road Safety Management

30. Skill and Resources for Winter Service

31. Integration of New Technologies in Winter Services

32. Winter Maintenance in Urban Areas

33. Innovative Approaches for Asset Management

34. Innovative Asset Management Implementation Efforts

35. Renewal and Optimization of Road Infrastructure

36. Sustainability Assessment of Road Traffic Noise Mitigation Measures

37. Biodiversity-Friendly Road Infrastructure: Integrating Nature-Positive Design and Sensory Pollution Mitigation

38. Using Sustainable Practices, Natural Materials and Novel Eco-Friendly Approaches to Enhance Road Safety

39. Integrating Heritage Impact Assessment into Road & Transport Projects (Tangible and Intangible Heritage)

40. Performance and Applicability of Low-Cost Sensors to Assess Global Air Pollution Variability through Machine Learning (AI)

41. National Strategies and Policies for Decarbonization of Road Passenger and Freight Transport

42. Production of Renewable Energy in the Vicinity of Road Infrastructure to Support the Electrification of Road Transport and Transport Infrastructure

43. Electric Road Systems (ERS)

44. Pavements for Urban Areas

45. Low-Cost Pavement Systems

46. Use of Alternative Materials in Pavement Mixes

47. Carbon Reduction through the Whole Life Cycle of a Bridge

48. Climate Adaptation in Earthworks: Success Stories

49. The Future of Earthworks: Low-Carbon Innovations

50. Smart Asset Management: Monitoring and Early Warning for Earthworks

51. Digitalization of Road Tunnel Design and Management

52. Sustainability of Tunnel Operation: New Approaches

53. Road Tunnel Safety, Operation, and Maintenance in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC)

54. Decarbonization of Road Construction and Maintenance

55. Global Perspectives on Road Design Standards: Comparison, Transferability and Development

56. BIM Applications in Road Design and Digital Transformation

57. New Road Data Collection and Usage Methods of Road Statistics for Decision-Making

PIARC PRIZES 2027

By submitting a paper in response to the present call for papers you will automatically be entered in the PIARC Prizes competition and be in competition to win one of the prizes. The prize for the best paper in each category will be awarded by an international jury.

The following are the Prize categories for our 2027 Congress:

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Before submitting an abstract, please read the detailed description of the topics of the call for papers by downloading this file: Call for papers – Vancouver 2027.

The papers should present case studies, research results and/or practical experiences related to the topics of this call. Proposals falling outside the scope of these topics will not be considered.

KEY DATES

Call for Papers:
Paper Submissions Deadline:
August 31, 2026

Notice of Acceptance of Papers:
November 15, 2026
Full Articles Submission Deadline:
January 31, 2027

Full Articles Acceptance Notice Deadline:
May 15, 2027
Registration
Early bird registration:
October 2026 - June 2027
Regular registration:
June 2027 - October 2027

Contact

For general congress related inquiries:

WRC 2027 Secretariat
Email: wrc2027@mci-agency.com