11th Annual Urban Soils Symposium

Soils: The intersection of the natural & constructed

Friday, October 16th, 2026

Soils Building Health Symposium

9:30 am - 5:30pm + Happy Hour
Fordham School of Law
140 W 62nd St., New York

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Soils Investigation + Art Exhibition & People’s Garden Eco-System Tour

Time TBA
Governors Island, New York

About the symposium

With soils as our common denominator, the symposium is a vibrant ecosystem of sharing and exchange. Voices come together from all sectors, disciplines and backgrounds to collaborate, and grow our capacities within a holistic understanding of soils to better our livelihoods, development, wellness and health of us and our planet.

Who should join? 

All who interact and are interested in the world supported by soils. Bring your projects, ideas, research, stories, and explorations to share.

The symposia are not stand-alone conferences, but a sequel of explorations, creations, and cross pollination that repair, build, and optimize the relationship between the metabolisms that run the built and natural environments. 

Soils Unite!

Soils Building Health Companion Exhibition

October 17 - Swale House, Governors Island

We are excited to host a pop up exhibition at Swale House on Governors Island for Saturday, October 17, 2026 in conjunction with our 11th Annual Symposium!

Soils are foundational to life on earth. USI's 2026 symposium,
Soils Building Health, will consider soil-based ecological systems in urban environments as they relate to remediation, agriculture, and microbiomes supporting urban soils, ourselves and communities. Please review the information below before applying to the exhibition, proposals are due September 10th. notification will be by September 20th. Direct questions to both Walker Tufts (walker@camplittlehope.com) and Rebecca Murtaugh (rebeccamurtaugh@gmail.com).

Partner Events, Agenda, Contributors, Art and more to be announced soon!

Catch the vibe of last year’s symposium