Beneath the Surface: Why Urban Soils Matter
Urban soil scientist Anna Paltseva highlights the complexity, risks and opportunities of city soils, stressing their vital role in urban agriculture, ecosystem health and community well-being, while offering practical solutions to manage contamination.
By Jill Dutton
The Packer
Aug 29, 2025
Excerpt:
When people think about cities, they often imagine concrete, steel and glass — not the ground beneath their feet. But according to Anna Paltseva, an international urban soil scientist and professor at Purdue University, what lies below our sidewalks and gardens is just as critical to the health of our communities as the infrastructure above.
In a Science Societies webinar, “Beneath the City: Exploring Urban Soils, Microbiomes and Rehabilitation Strategies,” Paltseva says: “Urban soils are super heterogeneous and full of secrets. You never know what’s underneath those urban streets.”
Unlike rural soils, which tend to develop more naturally over time, urban soils are shaped by centuries of human activity, she says. They can contain layers of construction debris, industrial waste and even ancient artifacts — sometimes within just a few feet of depth. In New York City, for example, surveys have revealed soil profiles ranging from glacial deposits to dredged river material to coal ash.
That history matters.
“Land use history is really important,” Paltseva says. “We need to know what was there before to properly manage what we have today.”
Read the complete article here.
Source: https://cityfarmer.info/beneath-the-surface-why-urban-soils-matter/
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