The URSOILL project aims at developing innovative solutions for urban soil restoration through a network of five Living Labs located across Europe. Through co-creation and testing of solutions, the project aims to address common challenges of urban soils, including contamination, degradation and sealing. 

The project is going to build five Living Labs in different climatic zones and socio-economic contexts. Each Living Lab will act as a collaborative hub for researchers, municipalities, businesses stakeholders, non-profit organizations and citizens, to co-create and test practical solutions that restore soil functions, enhance climate resilience, and improve the quality of life in cities.  

The main areas of focus of each Living Lab will be:  

• 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 such diverse conditions, URSOILL’s Living Labs will generate knowledge and solutions that are replicable and scalable across Europe, directly supporting the EU Mission Soil’s goal of 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses by 2030.  

The project is coordinated by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and involves a multidisciplinary consortium of 29 research institutions, municipalities, industry partners, and non-profit organisations from across Europe.  

Poliedra – affiliated entity of Politecnico di Milano – will play an active role in the Italian Living Lab, supporting the local refinement of the engagement method and the construction of the local actors’ network, managing and facilitating the co-creation process in the Milan’s Living Lab sites.