SCORE: Building Coastal Resilience Through Nature-Based and Smart Technology Solutions

The SCORE project is a 10-million-euro initiative funded by the European Union, designed to enhance climate resilience in coastal regions facing escalating natural hazards. Its primary objectives include mitigating the impacts of sea level rise, coastal erosion, floods, storms, and heat waves through adaptive strategies. The project integrates nature-based solutions with advanced smart technologies to create sustainable, data-driven resilience frameworks. By fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders—including local municipalities, academic institutions, private sectors, and civil society—SCORE aims to co-develop context-specific climate strategies. The initiative also prioritizes the economic, social, and environmental co-benefits of resilience-building to ensure holistic and inclusive outcomes.

Keywords: Coastal resilience, Nature-based solutions (NBS), Climate adaptation, Smart technology, Stakeholder engagement, Early warning systems, Multicriteria analysis, Cost-benefit analysis, Living labs, European coastal cities;

Rising Climate Threats to European Coastal Regions

European coastal cities face escalating risks from climate change, including increased frequency and intensity of floods, storms, and heat waves, compounded by long-term sea-level rise and erosion. Existing infrastructure and policy frameworks often lack sufficient climate data to design effective mitigation strategies, leaving communities vulnerable to economic, social, and environmental disruptions. While global agreements like the Paris Accord set ambitious emission targets, the irreversible progression of climate impacts necessitates a shift toward adaptive resilience-building rather than mitigation alone. The disparity in data availability across regions further hinders localized decision-making, as policymakers and stakeholders struggle to access real-time, actionable insights. Without coordinated efforts to bridge these gaps, the socioeconomic costs of climate hazards—such as damage to infrastructure, displacement, and loss of livelihoods—will continue to escalate, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups.

Holistic climate resilience through integrated solutions and stakeholder collaboration

The SCORE project aims to deliver actionable strategies for coastal cities to mitigate and adapt to climate-induced hazards such as flooding, storms, coastal erosion, and sea-level rise. By integrating nature-based solutions with advanced smart technologies, the initiative seeks to enhance disaster risk reduction while generating co-benefits for social, economic, and environmental systems. The development of digital twin 3D models for ten European case study regions will enable real-time monitoring of hazards and the effectiveness of interventions, providing policymakers with data-driven insights for decision-making. Early warning systems, informed by sensor networks, satellite data, and drone surveys, will improve preparedness and response capabilities in vulnerable coastal areas. Additionally, the project’s financial and socioeconomic analyses, conducted in partnership with insurance companies and local stakeholders, will assess the cost-effectiveness and long-term viability of nature-based solutions, ensuring their scalability and adoption.

The living lab methodology fosters cross-sectoral collaboration among academia, industry, public authorities, and civil society, creating a framework for co-designing context-specific climate strategies. Through iterative workshops, such as multicriteria analysis and cost-benefit assessments, stakeholders prioritize solutions tailored to regional needs, whether focused on flood protection, carbon capture, or recreational opportunities. The project’s open-access online courses and communication materials further democratize knowledge, empowering students, scientists, and climate enthusiasts to engage with the findings and replicate best practices. By projecting future scenarios up to 2050, SCORE will evaluate the enduring efficacy of interventions like dune management and wetland restoration, ensuring adaptive strategies remain relevant amid evolving climate threats. Ultimately, the initiative aims to bridge gaps between research, policy, and implementation, embedding resilience into the fabric of coastal governance and community planning.

Integrating Nature-Based Solutions, Smart Technology, and Stakeholder Co-Creation

The SCORE project employs a multidisciplinary approach to build coastal resilience by combining nature-based solutions, smart technology, and collaborative governance.

• Deploy smart monitoring systems by installing sensors, leveraging satellite data, and conducting aerial drone surveys in 10 case study cities to gather high-resolution climate and hazard data.
• Develop digital twin 3D models for each region to simulate real-time hazard scenarios (e.g., floods, storms) and evaluate the efficacy of nature-based solutions in mitigating risks.
• Establish living labs in all case study areas as platforms for engaging stakeholders—including academia, industry, public sector, and local communities—to co-design and prioritize climate adaptation strategies.

Unique Selling Proposition

The SCORE project merges cutting-edge smart technology with nature-based solutions and multi-stakeholder collaboration to create real-time, data-driven climate resilience models tailored to Europe’s most vulnerable coastal regions. By integrating digital twins, living labs, and cost-benefit analyses, it bridges the gap between scientific innovation and actionable policy while empowering communities to co-design adaptive strategies. This holistic approach ensures scalable, locally relevant solutions that address both immediate hazards and long-term sustainability. No other initiative combines this breadth of technical rigor, cross-sector engagement, and geographic diversity across 10 high-risk European coastal cities. It transforms climate adaptation from reactive planning to proactive, evidence-based resilience-building.

This article was generated with the support of artificial intelligence. While it has been reviewed and edited for clarity and accuracy, the primary content was generated by an AI tool.

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