What is Earth Valley?
In Earth Valley, companies, knowledge institutions, and governments work together on innovative solutions for societal issues related to sustainable living environments, housing, mobility, climate adaptation, and energy transition. Bundling their knowledge and experience on the application of digital geoinformation, they are driving innovation and entrepreneurship in Utrecht region.
Their ambition is to create a leading knowledge hub that can contribute to global social and urban planning challenges, such as climate change, circularity, energy transition, liveability, and mobility. The Liendert Interactive Visual Experience, also known as LIVE, is the first concrete project taking shape in the Earth Valley ecosystem.
Liveable Urban Spaces
The Liendert residential area, built in the 1960s, is set to undergo a significant redesign. In addition to utilizing the 3D Cityplanner, the LIVE project is developing a detailed water monitoring system and an advanced tree registry to identify and track climate-adaptive measures in the public space.
The European REACT-EU programme is subsidising the project with a contribution of €1 million, which equates to 60% of the project cost. The remaining 40% of the €1.7 million price tag is covered by the project partners (Amersfoort-based geo companies Geomaat, NEO, Hydrologic, Strategis en AeroVision), RVIM, Future City, and Amersfoort municipality.
From the Root Up
The consortium is attempting to answer a diverse range of questions that will be beneficial for town planners both in the Netherlands and globally. For instance, how much space is required for a tree to grow? What would be the consequences of replacing paving stones on a town square with grass? Are the solutions as straightforward as that, or should we consider crucial infrastructure, such as drainage?
Innovative technologies such as drones and 3D mapping are being utilized to gain answers to these and other questions. The LIVE partners also welcome the input of residents, as no one knows a neighbourhood better than its inhabitants. The hard and soft data collected in Liendert will aid in predicting which interventions are worthwhile and which ones are unlikely to have a significant impact.
2050 goals
LIVE aims to create more liveable urban spaces and enhance the resilience of cities and neighbourhoods. Achieving our 2050 objectives necessitates collaboration, joint research, talent development, and education as we gain more insights from critical datasets. Sharing knowledge and innovations enables us to accelerate the development of futureproof cities, anticipate tomorrow’s needs, and shape our environment accordingly.
From circular building, sustainable mobility, and climate adaptiveness to the power of water and the evolution of our planet, the Earth Valley ecosystem of innovative companies and knowledge institutions has cast its net far and wide, with more interesting projects to come.
About project LIVE (Dutch): https://liendert.live/
About Earth Valley (Dutch): https://www.romutrechtregion.nl/sector/earth-valley/
