Research projects

Research

NIKU’s research addresses issues and problems related to the whole thematic scope of the institute. The activities range from larger research programmes to smaller, focused projects. Many of the projects are conducted in cooperation with other research institutions, both in Norway and abroad. In the following, research projects are presented.

Published 08.07.11

LAND: The post-medieval archaeological resource in and around Norwegian towns

The project aims to enhance the knowledge base for long-term cohesive use and management of the urban landscape and buried archaeological resource associated with Norwegian towns of the post-medieval period. In Norway archaeological deposits which accumulated in urban centres following the Reformation (1536/37) have no legal protection.

Sustainable Transport - Drivers, Change, Impacts, Policies

Transport is a key area for environmental policy as it is still 95 percent carbon based and persistently responsible for a serious growth in and an increasing share of greenhouse gas emissions (Denis&Urry 2008, EEA 2010). While increased mobility has enabled us to travel more over longer distances, it continues to be followed by substantial daily welfare loss with congestion, noise and air pollution (McGlade 2009). Furthermore, land is under continuous pressure when transport infrastructure causes barrier effects and habitat fragmentation.

In Situ Site Preservation of Archaeological Remains in the Unsaturated Zone

International treaties and conventions are designed to protect the archaeological heritage as a source of the European collective memory and as an instrument for historical and scientific study. E.g. the Valletta treaty (Council of Europe, 1992) also calls for preservation of the archaeological heritage in situ.

The use of advanced technology: understanding, preservation and management of cultural heritage

This project will explore and implement new possibilities for knowledge-driven management of cultural heritage through the use of advanced technology and methods. The objective is to gain insight into methodological, practical and theoretical implications the use of non-destructive methods bring forward in relation to cultural heritage issues and to adapt and further develop a range of these techniques and methods with the purpose of improving research and management of cultural heritage. The project will increase knowledge in this field for the benefit of cultural heritage research and management.

Cultural heritage: Negotiations, policy & practice

Cultural heritage represents a manifest and important field of interaction between past and present. Successful policies and practises of heritage management require genuine knowledge and understanding of how and why these values have been constituted, and of how and why they are continuously negotiated and redefined along with other changes in contemporary society. This on-going process is shaped by impacts from a variety of value systems, economic, social and cultural and from domestic political directives as well as from international conventions, treaties and directives.