Driving Sustainable Urban Futures

Summary

This project addresses the needs of urban communities in Romania by leveraging Norwegian expertise in seismic analysis and waste-to-energy solutions alongside Romanian expertise in environmental geophysics.

A key emphasis of the project is on the geophysical data role in the green transition:

• identifying the areas where the internal heat of the earth can be exploited, at depths that ensure economic profitability. Such natural resources can be used to produce heat and electricity with low environmental impact, supporting therefore sustainable urban development;
• serving to waste-to-value emerging concepts with applicability for municipal solid waste landfills which are potent emitting sources of biomethane;
• data-driven decision-making in SMART City management, with applicability in developing optimal strategies for urban infrastructure management and green transition investment planning when confronting to both man-made and natural hazards.

Purpose

The project serves stakeholders seeking innovative solutions for green, resilient and technologically advanced cities. Additional to the scientific activities, the project includes activities for:

• enhanced knowledge and good practice transfer between Norway and Romania on the technologies related to the project’s key thematic, with utility in meeting the climate targets of 2030;
• enhancing the skills and knowledge of those who work in applying geophysics and data interpretation on topics related to exploration surveys for geothermal energy and monitoring through exploitation phase;
• raising public awareness about geophysical technology that supports the green transition and SMART City development, fostering broader community engagement in sustainable urban practices.