Globally, many densely populated urban areas with high seismic risk are located on top of sedimentary basins that can amplify earthquake ground motions. Sedimentary basins also offer important energy, water, and mineral resources, and underground storage capacity for fuels including hydrogen. However, in urban settings, the complex structures of sedimentary basins combined with the limitations of the built environment present some of the biggest challenges for recording high quality seismic data, imaging the basin structure, and monitoring subsurface changes. We have demonstrated that installing dense seismic nodal arrays can address such critical observational gaps and at the same time, broaden geoscience inclusivity, and engage local communities. I will discuss the scientific findings from nodal arrays installed in Yangon, Myanmar and in the San Fernando Valley, California. I will also discuss resilience and recovery considerations that motivated hazard-related monitoring in these regions.