CBPT
Why the interplay between Cities, Buildings, People and Technology matters
Cities, buildings, people and technology can no longer be understood in isolation. They form an interconnected system — a shared geography where every decision in one territory reshapes the others. This insight is the foundation of CBPT, a method developed to make these connections visible and intelligible.
CBPT is now one of the core methodological pillars inside Ideator™ COS, giving users a framework for navigating complexity and making cross-territorial decisions with clarity.
To translate this systemic view into practice, the Master Content Plan (MCP) was developed. MCP is a strategic framework that maps complexity into actionable pathways — aligning actors, revealing opportunities and turning systemic insight into coherent decisions. It has been applied to projects in urban development, infrastructure, innovation districts and sustainable transformation. A full description of MCP can be downloaded below.
Together, CBPT and MCP form part of the intellectual architecture behind the book IDEAS – Connecting Cities, Buildings, People and Technology, where their development, application and real-world impact are explored in depth.
CBPT - A strategic framework uniting Cities, Buildings, People, and Technology into one map – eliminating silos and turning complexity into actionable strategies. Below are selected project examples where NUDA’s Master Content Plan (MCP) method has been applied — turning complex challenges into structured strategies and actionable results.
The Airport City
A unique research and development project that breaks with conventional planning and challenges the established concept of airport urbanism — while simultaneously defining its own phenomenon through the proposal for a new Innovation District for Logistics and Transport.
Led by: LINK Arkitektur
In collaboration with: Multiconsult AS, University of South-Eastern Norway, and the Municipality of Ullensaker
Stad Ship Tunnel
A world-first planned in Norway. The first full-scale ship tunnel anywhere in the world places the nation on the map as an innovator in maritime infrastructure. Despite significant controversy and political disagreement, the project continues its planned progression toward completion. LINK Arkitektur was commissioned to design the architectural framework for both tunnel entrances.
Led by: Multiconsult AS
In collaboration with: LINK Arkitektur, Zenisk AS and Visjonært AS
KILDN - The Zero emission Port
The world’s first zero-emission port was no modest ambition when it was announced in 2021. Håkon Iversen was commissioned directly to develop the vision for its realisation. The project was conceived as a fully zero-emission, self-powered port, independent of land-based infrastructure and operating entirely on its own energy. While the original sketches have since evolved, the foundational vision he authored remains at the core.
Led by: COWI
In collaboration with: several external consultants
ReBuilding A Pacific Nation
The project has unfolded across four phases over a thirty-year horizon, with the intention of being initiated in 2025. The agreement with the former Prime Minister of Tonga came to a halt when he was removed from office in December 2024, following a vote of no confidence from the current Prime Minister, who demanded his resignation pending the national election in November 2025.
Led by: Feleti Ita Group
Port of Tromsø MCP
The masterplan for Tromsø Port is among the most complex and extensive planning processes undertaken in Norway. The work spanned nearly eighteen months, with the final plan delivered in late autumn 2025. Like other major ports, Tromsø Port is part of a larger structural network — a factor that was carefully managed as a central component of the entire process. The masterplan now forms the foundation for all strategic development in the decades ahead.
Led by: LINK Arkitektur
In collaboration with: Multiconsult AS
Kristiansand 2050
Electric City was a visionary public–private initiative in the southern region of Norway, encompassing Kristiansand, Arendal and Grimstad. The “Kristiansand 2050” vision was initiated by Håkon Iversen in collaboration with Å Energi, resulting in a controversial and forward-looking project that pointed toward new ways of shaping and managing coastal cities.
Led by: COWI
In collaboration with: Å Energi and the Municipality of Kristiansand
The Cluj-Napoca MCP
After completing the two-year EU research project Connected. Things about Cities, Future and People, Håkon Iversen authored and initiated an EEA-funded project in collaboration with the Ethnographic Museum in Cluj-Napoca. The nearly four-year initiative resulted in the development of the first Master Content Plan (MCP) model, which has since led to concrete urban development and built projects.
Led by: The Ethnographic Museum of Cluj-Napoca, NUDA, and Cluj-Napoca County Council, Romania
In collaboration with: CARDO and several local companies and NGOs
Powered by Ulsteinvik
In 2020, COWI and Kaleidoscope Architects won a parallel commission to develop a new place identity, mobility plan, waterfront strategy and health cluster for the small test city of Ulsteinvik in Norway. The project remains one of the most innovative initiatives carried out at this scale in the country — even today. It has been only partially realised.
Led by: Kaleidoscope
In collaboration with: COWI
Roadmap for Mobility
In 2021, Håkon Iversen initiated a development project for Høyda Utvikling in the Municipality of Moss. The establishment of a mobility roadmap had long been desired but never realised. The project was later expanded to the Municipality of Stord as an extension of its new city centre plan. Autonomous bus solutions and other mobility concepts were systematically developed and now form the basis for emerging models such as Mobility Hubs.
Led by: COWI
In collaboration with: Høyda Utvikling and the Municipality of Moss