Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS) means for EU-CONEXUS to focus its education, research & innovation, and knowledge-sharing activities on defining, understanding and addressing societal challenges that are experienced by communities from urban and semi-urbanised coastal regions (rivers, seas and oceans).
Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS) is not a subject-driven thematic framework, but a challenge-driven education and research domain. Coastal environments are interfaces between inland areas and marine offshore parts where social and economic activities interact with highly valuable and unique coastal ecosystems. Socio-economic activities along our coasts have a direct and indirect connectivity and impact on these ecosystems through the provision of goods and services. The functioning and evolution of urban coastal societies and environments in the context of climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure are major challenges that are addressed in the framework of Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability.
By providing sustainable, smart, nature-based solutions, EU-CONEXUS can achieve key sustainability goals, reduce the impact on the coastal ecosystems, respond to present challenges and anticipate future ones.