5. Conclusion

With the fairly recent realization that soils provide ecosystem services to urban populations, detailed knowledge of these soils, i.e. their physicochemical (including possible contamination or even pollution) and biological characteristics, is becoming essential, particularly to anticipate and manage future developments and uses. While some soils will only be used as geotechnical materials (e.g., to support buildings and roads), other soils, both fertile and free of contaminants, will contribute to the development of shared gardens and urban agriculture.

To assess the quality of urban soils and their ability to provide various services, their physico-chemical characterization is based on well-described analytical methods, most of which are standardized, and whose results can be compared with solid interpretation guidelines. The characterization of soil life (abundance,...