Summary
This narrative review examines the integration of soil ecosystem services into urban planning by analysing seven international city plans and a decade of soil science case studies. The authors identify a significant gap: whilst most urban plans acknowledge soil as a key resource, few translate this recognition into measurable indicators or monitoring frameworks. The paper concludes that bridging soil science and urban planning requires development of soil-related ecosystem services that are accessible and comprehensible to both disciplines.
UK applicability
The findings are applicable to UK urban planning practice, where soil governance similarly remains underdeveloped in local authority and regional planning frameworks. The paper's recommendations for developing integrative soil-related ecosystem service indicators could inform UK planning policy and guidance, particularly for new development appraisals and green infrastructure standards.
Key measures
Presence and integration of soil-related concepts in urban plans; ecosystem service indicators used in soil science case studies; monitoring and implementation metrics for soil functions in urban contexts
Outcomes reported
The study analysed the role of soil in recent urban plans from seven world cities and reviewed case studies on soil-related ecosystem services in urban contexts. The analysis identified weak attention to soil and soil-related ecosystem services in urban plan implementation and monitoring phases, with inconsistent ecosystem service indicator measurement approaches across case studies.
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