SMART GEOLOGY FOR FUTURE HANOI: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF GEOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Asia is the second most rapidly urbanising region globally, currently 48% of the Asian population resides in urban areas. Disturbance to the natural environment as a result of urbanisation is expected to be significant since natural resource consumption (e.g. water, energy) and the physical expansion of cities are both outpacing population growth. While cities have been characterised in terms of their economic, social and environmental situation, the role of geology for city resilience and sustainability is under-appreciated. Using Greater Hanoi - a soft-sediment city lying in the Red River Catchment, contrasted with Greater London, a riverine city located in the Thames River Catchment - we illustrate how an understanding of the urban geological environment supported by data informatics, sensor technologies and modelling systems, may be used to underpin urban development and sustainable use of the subsurface. The priority urban challenges identified as part of Hanoi’s Master Planning - including future transport infrastructure, groundwater management & drainage, subsidence, and shallow geothermal energy utilisation are used as case studies to highlight the potential benefits of 3D urban geology approaches and digital data workflows. The benefits of geoscience knowledge-exchange networks across government and private sector partners are also highlighted.