Urban Adaptation and Alert Solutions for a TIMEly (re)Action 

ongoing

Natural and human-caused disasters, including uncontrolled urbanization pose multiple short-term and long-term risks, such as building inhabitants being vulnerable to heat or cold waves, older people or other vulnerable individuals struggling to reach safe places during emergencies, and citizens not receiving timely alerts from public authorities regarding impending flash floods, or firestorms, among others. The RETIME project aims to address impactful changes at both the contextual district level and individual homes. It will introduce a data-driven tool that aggregates existing data from weather stations, sensor networks, and satellite images, automated on-site surveys to simulate the impacts of current phenomena and future projections. The innovative aspect lies in an advanced computational analysis that generates prospective scenarios based on socio-architectural and environmental studies, combined with local, territorial remote and on-site surveys. RETIME will develop a suite of 4 innovative adaptation solutions for reducing risk in urban areas: 1) A sensor-based IT automated alert system; 2) A Digital Building Twin (DBT); 3) A digital Building Renovation Passport (BRP); 4) A Resilience Knowledge Hub and Decision Support platform. These tools will be sensitive and capable of prioritizing alerts based on the architectural and societal context-specific features in three pilot areas (in Portugal, Slovakia, and Estonia). RETIME will meet citizens' real-time needs while supporting control and decision-making processes by: identifying vulnerable groups and critical hotspots, enhancing building resilience; utilizing existing datasets and forecasting computational tools; delivering adaptation plans with a focus on carbon-neutral lifecycle awareness; and increasing citizens' understanding of natural disasters and their multi-scale impacts. Overall, RETIME strives to create a more resilient, informed, and prepared urban environment for all citizens.