Research

Urban soils have been described as a “black box” – a poorly understood field of research that, until recently, was subordinated to agricultural soils research and geobiophysical sciences, more generally. Avoidance of urban soils research is attributed to their complexity. Urban soils exhibit a high level of variation due to anthropogenic activity which increases urban soils’ biochemical complexity by an order of magnitude. Also an obstacle, is the difficulty of performing large scale fieldwork and in-situ analysis because of site interference with urban structures. Yet just because something is difficult to understand does not mean that it should not be understood. USI’s Research Division supports sustainable urban resource management and conservation.

USI Research Agenda

collaborative research network

USI’s Collaborative Research Network (CRN) is comprised of international academics, practitioners and community representatives. CRN members collaborate on urban soils research and and peer-reviewed resources.

global URBAN soil issues

While not many of the world's urban areas have good soil survey information yet, we highlight global pedodiversity, help visualize the effects of soil forming factors from Kinshasa to Tokyo, and offer a platform for international urban soil scientists to present regional eco-urban issues. USI co-founders, NRCS, have developed one of the most robust urban soil surveys worldwide—our New York City Reconnaissance Soil Survey identifies where there are native soils (till, tidal marsh), the variety of fill soils, and sealed areas (pavement & buildings) and is evolving.