Healthy soils for healthy cities

Open to researchers, planners, environmental scientists, architects, health professionals, veterinarians, and others working at the intersection of soil, health, and urban development.

The day consists of a morning session and an afternoon session. When registering, you can choose which session you want to attend or if you want to participate for the whole day.

Morning sessions 

Time: from 9 am. to 12 am. 

Urban soil health and sustainable urban soil management

As the demand for ecosystem services in cities increases, healthy soils are becoming ever more important. Indeed, sustainable soil management can contribute to resilient cities, improved biodiversity, and reduced soil sealing. The recently adopted EU Soil Monitoring Law aims to achieve healthy soils in the EU, forces countries to monitor and assess the soil health including that of urban soils. This webinar will adress questions such as:

• Urban soils – what makes them special?
• Sustainable use of existing soils - is it possible to use existing soils in construction projects?
• How can we practically avoid problems such as compaction and other types of damage?
• With what new opportunities can research contribute?

Featured speakers include:

• Jessica Davis, Lancaster University  
• Anna Pettersson Skog, Rise & Emma Lundborg, City of Stockholm
• Petter Åkerblom, SLU
• Johanna Wetterlind, SLU

Afternoon: Urban Healthscapes

From 13 pm. to 15 pm. 

Focusing on soil as a foundation for human, animal, and ecosystem health – a One Health perspective. We highlight the role of urban soil microbiomes in shaping both physical and mental well-being, biodiversity, and the health of wild and domestic animals. We also explore how architecture and urban design can support living soils through materials, form, and ecological integration.

Featured speakers include:

• Dr. Tiffany Scholier, expert in systems biology and sustainable sanitation at Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.
• Dr. Jessica Zampolli, environmental microbiologist at Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, specializing in bioremediation.
• Dr. Richard Beckett, Associate Professor in Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture. 
• Tobias Emilsson, Senior researcher in Urban vegetation, SLU.