Bye Bye Bryggen: An Audiowalk into Bergen’s Climate Future.
The Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation (CET) is launching "Bye Bye Bryggen", an interactive audiowalk that brings climate research to life. Using Bergen’s iconic Bryggen as a backdrop, the project explores how rising seas and climate change could reshape the city by 2100.
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Climate change is complex and can often feel abstract. While climate research provides us with scenarios for what the future holds, it’s hard to really understand what it means for future generations. “Bye Bye Bryggen” aims to make future scenarios tangible, helping people understand how today’s choices shape tomorrow’s realities.
The audiowalk will be available through an app on your phone. The listener’s location is registered, and throughout the story, they receive instructions to move, touch things, and reflect on the surroundings they are in.
In Bye Bye Bryggen, we meet Tonje, a 15-year-old in the year 2100. She has been assigned homework to interview her relatives about the winter flood of 2072. The listener can then choose whether they want to hear a story about a conflict-filled future or one based on collaboration.
Bryggen – the heart of Bergen’s culture.
The project team were introduced to the Swedish audio walk Farewell Falstbö (external link)around the same time the City of Bergen launched their report on sea-level rise in Bergen.
“It was clear to us from the get-go where a Bergen version should be made”, says project leader Judith Dalsgård.“It’s hard to think of a more iconic location in Bergen, let alone Norway.”
Bryggen lies in an area that is vulnerable to sea-level rise and is a setting for many emotional discussions in Bergen. The UNESCO World Heritage site is a symbol of the city’s cultural identity, making debates about its future deeply intertwined with questions of heritage preservation and climate adaptation.
“We want people to feel climate change and not just read about it”, Dalsgård adds. “We want to inspire reflections about how we shape our future together”.
The Science behind the story
The project draws on ongoing social science research on urban climate policy, adaptation, and risk management from the Centre for Climate and Energy Transition. Climate projections are informed by leading research from the Bjerknes Centre, the Norwegian Climate Service Centre, and technical reports from the City of Bergen.
The project aims to engage the citizens of Bergen in a reflection on how we want to shape our future. We hope that school groups, policymakers, and bureaucrats will use the audio walk as a starting point for reflections and discussions.
To complement the audio experience, a dedicated website will provide deeper insights and resources.
Want to experience Bergen’s possible future? “Bye Bye Bryggen” launches in March 2026. Visit CET’s website for updates and prepare to walk into tomorrow.