A New Hansa: research into the grand challenges facing North Sea cities

The North Sea region faces many 21st-century challenges, including the need for an industrial and energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables while protecting its sensitive ecologies and biodiversity. Looming climate change threats and Brexit-related regulatory differences between the UK and EU North Sea nations compound these challenges. At the same time, the cities of the North Sea are experiencing major urban transformations, particularly along its coast. Market pressures are pushing harbour cities to upscale their post-industrial sites under prevailing contemporary development models, which can destroy their industrial heritage and put extra pressure on littoral ecologies.

This practice-based research will address these challenges by engaging in multiple design projects at various spatial scales and exploring replicable innovative industries that seamlessly blend with existing infrastructure, honour historical industrial remnants, harmonise with natural ecosystems, and adapt to rising sea level projections in the design process. Finally, it will examine the intra-national interplays between contemporary resonances of the region’s old Hanseatic League of countries/city-states, and build networks of city governance and practice with architects, planners, ecologists, sociologists, and other experts in North Sea harbour cities.

Publications

Reference

5th Studio-DC1

Researcher

Nabi Agzamov

Research Host

5th Studio

PhD awarding institution/s

RMIT University

Location

London (United Kingdom)

Publications

RMIT and many of the REDI partners are HSR4R certified
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101034328.

Results reflect the author’s view only. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains