Phytoremediative urban design: Transforming a derelict and polluted harbour area into a green and productive neighbourhood

Wilschut, M.; Theuws, P.A.W.; Duchhart, I.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2013.01.033

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sometimes called greenfields, wastelands, uncultivated, vacant or abandoned land, these derelict soils can be poor in nutrients (Dickinson, 2003) and/or contaminated (Morel et al, 2005). However, with the estimated increase of the world's population and the increasing need for soil surfaces for plant production, some of these soils might be considered as a resource (Anderson and Minor, 2017), for example for nonfood biomass production (Wilschut et al, 2013;Lord, 2015). The potential of derelict soils to promote non-food biomass production has been studied in willow, miscanthus, reed canarygrass and switchgrass in England (Lord et al, 2008) and in willow, poplar, miscanthus, and kenaf in Europe (Saebo et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Assessment of derelict soil quality: Abiotic, biotic and functional approaches

Vincent

Auclerc

Béguiristain

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The intensification and subsequent closing down of industrial activities during the last century has left behind large surfaces of derelict lands. Derelict soils have low fertility, can be contaminated, and many of them remain unused. However, with the increasing demand of soil surfaces, they might be considered as a resource, for example for non-food biomass production. The study of their physico-chemical properties and of their biodiversity and biological activity may provide indications for their potential re-use. The objective of our study was to investigate the quality of six derelict soils, considering abiotic, biotic, and functional parameters. We studied (i) the soil bacteria, fungi, meso- and macro-fauna and plant communities of six different derelict soils (two from coking plants, one from a settling pond, two constructed ones made from different substrates and remediated soil, and an inert waste storage one), and (ii) their decomposition function based on the decomposer trophic network, enzyme activities, mineralization activity, and organic pollutant degradation. Biodiversity levels in these soils were high, but all biotic parameters, except the mycorrhizal colonization level, discriminated them. Multivariate analysis showed that biotic parameters co-varied more with fertility proxies than with soil contamination parameters. Similarly, functional parameters significantly co-varied with abiotic parameters. Among functional parameters, macro-decomposer proportion, enzyme activity, average mineralization capacity, and microbial polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degraders were useful to discriminate the soils. We assessed their quality by combining abiotic, biotic, and functional parameters: the compost-amended constructed soil displayed the highest quality, while the settling pond soil and the contaminated constructed soil displayed the lowest. Although differences among the soils were highlighted, this study shows that derelict soils may provide a biodiversity ecosystem service and are functional for decomposition.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When the belowground subsystem is not functional, plant growth can be totally inhibited (Wong and Bradshaw, 2003). Several studies have addressed plant growth on derelict soils (Gardiner et al, 2013;Wilschut et al, 2013;Lord, 2015;Anderson and Minor, 2017) as an indicator of their quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of derelict soil quality: Abiotic, biotic and functional approaches

Vincent

Auclerc

Béguiristain

et al. 2018

Science of The Total Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For the majority of Amsterdammers, NDSM was not a part of Amsterdam, and it had been defined as the "Siberia of Amsterdam" where nobody wanted to live [53]. With the increasing globalization, the Dutch naval sector experienced a decrease in profits and passed through a period of deep crisis between the '70s and '80s [54]. After a decade, due to the decline of the whole secondary sector, Amsterdam began to question the viability of earlier urban policy models and started to look for alternative ways of organically developing in NDSM [55].…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformative Urban Living Labs: Towards a Circular Economy in Amsterdam and Turin

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The circular economy is becoming a field of experimentation to trigger site-specific laboratories oriented towards connecting material flows and citizens’ practices. Despite their wide use, a critical perspective of the transformative paths of these Urban Living Labs (ULLs) is still missing. This paper compares the paths followed by two such experiments, one in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and the other in Turin (Italy). To this end, we build an analytical framework that targets three dimensions: unconventionality, autonomy, and systemic impact on policies. We conclude that ULLs can take very different transformation paths over time due to a wide range of enablers and barriers. In Amsterdam there has been an assimilation in the neighbourhood as well as a transformative effect on an urban scale; while the case of Turin has turned out to be potentially transformative but also at risk of marginalization.

show abstract

“…When taking this constraint into consideration, the association of nonaccumulating vegetables and metal-accumulating crops appears to offer a promising solution as a means of securing cropping on contaminated soils. An alternative option consists of soil excavation followed by building up temporary vegetated stockpiles that contribute to urban landscape quality (Todd, Landman, & Kelly, 2016;Wilschut, Theuws, & Duchhart, 2013). Once cleaned up, the soil could be reused in various ways.…”

Section: Options Leading To Land-use Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management initiatives in support of the soil quality of urban allotment gardens: Examples from Nantes (France)

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urban allotment gardens (UAGs) are important for the provision of foodstuffs, social cohesion, residents' well‐being, and prevention of the formation of local heat islands during summer. The soils of these gardens however may be adversely affected by pollution threats and thus create health risks. In such cases, appropriate management becomes necessary. For several gardens exhibiting soil contamination (e.g., Pb at 100–400 mg kg−1) in the city of Nantes, local actors collaborated, including scientists, the municipality's Parks and Open Space Department, elected officials, sanitary administration, and each site's gardeners' association. The soil characterization step was performed along with a sanitary risk evaluation and discussion of management options, based on both the pollution characteristics and local context. The most frequent option consisted of replacing the polluted soils with clean soils. Managing the excavated polluted soils on‐site (e.g., for ornamental purposes) limited the economic and environmental impacts associated with this solution. Alternative solutions, including a combined system of nonaccumulative cropping vegetables at the time of phytoextraction, were also employed to maintain gardening uses. In some cases, land use (gardening) was changed into, for example, an orchard, open space, or ornamental space. A combination of solutions was introduced in several gardens. The various options available for managing polluted soils, as implemented in Nantes' UAGs and based mainly on nature‐based solution, can be applied more generally in order to improve soil quality. In addition to enhancing the quality of both residents' lives and biodiversity, several solutions allow preserving or even restoring soil functions.

show abstract

Phytoremediative urban design: Transforming a derelict and polluted harbour area into a green and productive neighbourhood

Cited by 19 publications

References 9 publications

Assessment of derelict soil quality: Abiotic, biotic and functional approaches

Assessment of derelict soil quality: Abiotic, biotic and functional approaches

Transformative Urban Living Labs: Towards a Circular Economy in Amsterdam and Turin

Management initiatives in support of the soil quality of urban allotment gardens: Examples from Nantes (France)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About