On Monday 23 February, the kick-off event for the Italian Living Lab of the European URSOILL project – Urban Soil Health Living Labs – took place in Milan. The initiative is funded by the Horizon Europe programme as part of the EU Mission dedicated to protecting and restoring soil health.
The meeting marked the official launch of the Italian Living Lab’s activities and was also the first opportunity for dialogue and discussion with stakeholders from the Milan area.
During the morning, the objectives, structure and methodological approach of the Italian Living Lab were presented, based on a co-creation model that integrates scientific, administrative and operational expertise. The Living Lab comprises a total of 13 sites distributed between Milan and Turin, 10 of which are located in the Milan area. The spaces involved represent different urban contexts and share significant challenges, including:
- soilsealing
- potentialcontamination
- rainwatermanagement
- loss of fertility and reduction of organic carbon in thesoil
- the need to strengthen knowledge and awareness of the value of urban soil
The second part of the event featured an initial interactive session, facilitating discussion among Milanese stakeholders with the aim of sharing priorities, challenges and operational actions to improve urban soil health.
The event, hosted by CRAFT – Centro di Competenze Territori AntiFragili (Centre for Anti-Fragile Territories) at Politecnico di Milano, marked the start of a co-creation process that aims to strengthen cooperation between research, institutions and businesses to promote more sustainable and resilient cities, starting with the regeneration of urban soil.
For more information on the project here.
