Urban Geology

EGDI Urban Geology

Cities are complex systems that exist at the interface of natural, built and social environments.  Geological and geotechnical information about the subsurface is of paramount importance and high socio-economic value for the development of cities and the maintenance of critical infrastructure (e.g., transport tunnels, energy and water supply networks, and foundations).  To achieve the vision of resilient cities, subsurface use must be planned, integrated and managed as part of the largely above-ground agendas. Urban geology is a geological science that encompasses all topics related to the urban underground, including hydrogeology, geochemistry, structural geology, engineering geology, geothermal energy, geohazards, and geoheritage.

 

Geological and geotechnical context for resilient cities

Urban geology focuses on the subsurface conditions that influence city development, maintenance of critical infrastructure and risk management. Harmonised geological and geotechnical context helps planners, engineers and researchers communicate constraints consistently and reuse information across organisations and borders.

What EGDI can support in an urban context

Use this theme to discover resources that help describe and interpret urban ground conditions, link subsurface context to hazards and support evidence-based planning. EGDI tools enable users to search and validate datasets and to connect urban challenges with broader geological framework layers.

Typical use cases

  • Infrastructure planning and maintenance: screening ground conditions and constraints for projects and asset management.
  • Risk awareness: connecting urban settings to geohazards (subsidence, instability) and groundwater context.
  • Communication: providing consistent background information for stakeholder engagement.

Recommended workflow (3 steps)

  • Start with the context in the Geological Map Viewer for Europe and the Basic Geology framework layers.
  • Find relevant datasets using EGDI Data Search (urban, engineering, groundwater-related resources).
  • Validate suitability in the Geological Metadata Catalogue and consult the Document Repository for supporting reports where relevant.

Related EGDI resources

Other Scientific Themes

Mountain and its reflection in a lake at its feet.

Basic Geology

Multiscale space-related datasets and data products are the fundamental components of geological baseline information delivered by national geological survey organisations. These datasets and products show and explain the geological architecture of the surface and subsurface of the Earth’s crust.
Heavy machinery carrying out a survey.

Boreholes

EGDI contains data on different sets of boreholes. Currently a WMS services is available.
Road asphalt torn by ground movements.

Earth Observations and Geohazards

The systematic observation of the Earth’s surface and the monitoring of ground deformation allows the precise mapping and assessment of geohazards. Geohazards can have severe impacts on human lives and properties and may lead to serious socio-economic consequences.
Image of a person's hand harvesting spinach in a garden.

Geochemistry

Chemical elements are the Earth’s building blocks. Geochemistry is the study of the distribution and concentration of Earth’s elements.
Volcanic area that houses a hot spring lake that is being photographed by several people.

GeoEnergy

Energy is vital to the functioning of our society. We need energy to heat our homes, to produce food, for transport, and much more. But energy consumption poses two major challenges. First, our huge dependency on fossil fuels. Second, domestic energy production is decreasing.
Computer-generated background of reddish colors that simulates sea waves.

GeoERA

Establishing the European Geological Surveys Research Area to deliver a Geological Service for Europe (GeoERA).
People strolling on a footbridge on a steep cliff. A route known as "El Caminito del Rey" in Málaga.

Geoheritage

Earth’s geological processes are happening around us all the time. The results are often distinctive geological sites (geosites) that can be unique, visually appealing or have scientific value.
Spectacular landscape view from helicopter cabin.

Geophysics

Geophysics studies the Earth's interior using physical properties measured at or above its surface and produces mathematical models to predict those properties.
Rocky seabed illuminated by sunlight.

Marine Geology

About two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. In line with this, Europe’s seas total about fifteen million square kilometres, fifty percent more than its land area.
Spectacular fragment of multicolored mineral with lumpy shapes inside.

Mineral Resources

We live in a mineral-based world. It has been said that “if you can’t grow it, you have to mine it”. Indeed, virtually everything we use on a daily basis is manufactured from the Earth’s mineral resources. Mineral raw materials provide us with our basic needs – energy, infrastructure, transportation, technology and more.
Water pipe

Water Resources

Groundwater, present almost every where beneath our feet, is by far (99%) the largest freshwater resource on earth. As rain falls, it recharge and continuously feeds, rivers, lakes, wetlands and coastal waters.