LAND: Cultural Heritage and Water Management in Urban Planning

The project has been particularly active in the World Heritage Site Bryggen in Bergen. To prevent further drop in groundwater levels in parts of the Bryggen, the Urban WATCH project combined approach of archaeological, geochemical and hydrogeological monitoring, as well as subsurface modelling and various physical measures to improve infiltration. - An extensive surveillance of the groundwater table and groundwater flow has been conducted, as well as classification of the preservation conditions in the medieval layers (de Beer et al. 2012; Matthiesen, 2014). - A case study of stormwater characterization for suitable management for a UNESCO world heritage site with cultural deposits was carried out. A case study of characterizing stormwater quality and designing stormwater treatment and infiltration options for the Bryggen piers in Bergen. In this study urban stormwater management was applied to an in situ preservation site in order to restore the local water balance and improve preservation conditions for cultural deposits. It gave insight in the variations of stormwater quality characteristics, and with this knowledge the most appropriate stormwater handling strategy (e.g., sustainable urban drainage systems) can be planned and decay of cultural deposits prevented. - A modelling case study has been performed to investigate to what extend soil moisture and temperature monitoring data can be used as model input to gain new knowledge about hydraulic processes in the shallow (unsaturated) cultural deposits that drive degradation. An important outcome of the model simulations was that traditional soil sampling, analyses and monitoring should be complemented by time series of the soils matric potential, when simulating heterogeneous sites such as Bryggen. - One of the most recent measures to facilitate improved infiltration and water retention was the construction of a rain garden that will be connected to a neighbouring urban quarter in 2015. That way, the contributing watershed upstream of Bryggen will be increased and it is expected, that this will lead to a permanently higher groundwater pressure in parts of Bryggen that today are prone to decay and subsidence. In addition, a 3D modeling of hydrogeological conditions in Hausmannskvartalet in Oslo where a terrain model of the area in respect to water levels was developed. Furthermore, a web-survey directed to Norwegian cultural heritage management and heritage research organizations was carried out in order to evaluate practical use of the national standard for environmental monitoring and investigation of cultural deposits (NS9451:2009). Based on the survey results, it was a rather low number of people within Norwegian cultural heritage management and research that had heard of the standard, and fewer still that had used it. The Urban Watch is actively contributing to dissemination of the standard by training more field archaeologists in the use of the standard.

Norwegian cultural heritage management is known for its leading role with regards to in-situ preservation of archaeological deposits and protection of individual monuments and sites. However, Norwegian urban surface- and groundwater management is internat ionally lagging behind on implementation of innovative sustainable solutions as well as improvement of legislative issues. This also leads to tension in local planning systems, especially in urban areas. Cultural heritage protection can often be related to water. Either water as a preserving agent of vulnerable organic deposits or foundations, or water as a factor that may stabilise or destabilise the ground that bears our buildings and monuments. Cultural heritage protection is therefore often related t o surface -and groundwater management. This poses a threat, certainly in view of climate change and the current need to adaptation in urban water systems. The challenge is to enhance urban water management practise, and integrate cultural heritage managem ent early in urban land- and water planning processes to avoid loss of cultural values. By facilitating this integration, Urban WATCH will contribute in safeguarding vulnerable cultural heritage above and below the ground against possible threats from a c ontinuously changing urban environment, also in light of climate change. Urban WATCH will develop and test new research-based environmental monitoring and assessment methods, as well as develop multi-disciplinary management strategies and guidelines to e ncourage real sustainable urban land- and water management in a changing urban environment. In the urban landscape, vulnerable cultural heritage is literally and socially, an integral part of the foundation for value creation and vital inner cities. Ther efore, the project addresses not only the challenges, but also the possibilities for developing effective strategies for realizing sustainable development at the local level with an emphasis on planning processes.