New project URSOILL kicked off!
Innovative solutions for sustainable urban soil restoration through Living Labs
The URSOILL project officially began this September 2025 with its kick-off meeting in Uppsala, Sweden. Funded by Horizon Europe as part of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, URSOILL focuses on developing innovative solutions for urban soil restoration through a network of five Living Labs located across Europe.
Urban soils are increasingly under pressure from contamination, sealing, and degradation due to urbanisation, industrial activity, and climate change. However, they provide essential ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water regulation, biodiversity, and urban cooling. URSOILL aims to co-create and test practical solutions that restore soil functions, enhance climate resilience, and improve the quality of life in cities.
The project is going to build five Living Labs in different climatic zones and socio-economic contexts. Each will act as a collaborative hub for researchers, municipalities, businesses, and citizens to design and test innovative soil restoration practices together:
» Sweden (Uppsala & Stockholm): Decontamination of polluted soils and testing de-sealing solutions in fast-growing urban areas.
» Spain (Vitoria & Forua): Restoration of degraded sites and naturalisation of schoolyards, with strong citizen involvement.
» Greece (Kozani & Ptolemaida): Soil restoration in post-industrial areas and creation of urban community farms.
» Italy (Milan & Turin): Nature-based solutions for soil restoration and urban biodiversity support in metropolitan regions.
» Luxembourg (Minett region): Soil recovery in industrialised areas and promotion of soil literacy through citizen engagement.
By covering these diverse conditions, URSOILL’s Living Labs will generate knowledge and solutions that are replicable and scalable across Europe and beyond, directly supporting the EU Mission Soil’s goal of 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses by 2030.
A key partner in the project, iUE will lead the co-creation process of the 5 Living Labs, building on its existing work as part of SPADES and other past experience related to co-creation in urban settings. The Institute will additionally launch a knowledge exchange platform on soil in the city as part of the project.
We look forward to hands-on activity with the Living Lab partners, fostering a transdisciplinary approach to integrate (urban) soil health considerations into sustainable urban development!