ABOUT ArchiSols
ArchiSols — short for Archives des Sols — is a co-creation research project funded (until end of 2026) by Innoviris, the public agency supporting research and innovation in the Brussels-Capital Region. The project is led by urban.brussels, the Belgian State Archives in Brussels, and the Université libre de Bruxelles, in collaboration with Brussels Environment, the municipal administrations of Anderlecht, Uccle and Woluwe‑Saint‑Lambert, as well as various experts and civic associations.
The aim of ArchiSols is to improve soil use in Brussels by documenting past activities that may have affected soil quality. There is a growing awareness of the legacy of anthropogenic degradation of soils, subsoils and groundwater, particularly pollution, but also damage to their physical and biological condition (compaction, erosion, loss of organic matter, soil sealing, etc.). This awareness is linked to a shift in contemporary concerns — from viewing soil merely as a structural support for a linear economy, to recognising soil as a resource that provides essential ecosystem functions.
Despite this, soil quality remains poorly known and difficult to access today. It is often taken into account too late in spatial planning and development processes, relies heavily on costly soil analyses, and generally results in unsustainable practices such as the removal of degraded soil and backfilling with so-called “clean” soil. Improved knowledge of the past activities that took place on a site would make it possible to anticipate local soil degradation that is currently unsuspected.
A significant body of “dormant” knowledge relating to soil history exists, both in archives and within collective memory. However, in the digital age, these sources of information remain difficult to mobilise and are therefore underused. ArchiSols seeks to shed light on the history of soils and territories by developing tools, including a participatory platform for the contribution and visualisation of geolocated archival data. The goal is for this new information to transform the practices of spatial planning stakeholders—for example, through its integration into legal planning and building regulation instruments, or into codes of good practice intended for project designers and consultancy firms.
The hypotheses derived from historical data—validated in some cases through field investigations—will make it possible to distinguish areas presumed to be in good condition from degraded areas across the territory. The ambition is to optimise land-use allocation according to the sensitivity of intended uses and to support arbitration between competing functions on the same site. For instance, healthy soils would tend to be protected and allocated to uses that are particularly sensitive to soil quality, such as urban agriculture, playgrounds or areas of high biological value, while construction would be concentrated on less healthy soils.
To learn more about the results of the project and its closing event on 9 October : Révélons le passé des sols, repensons leurs usages.
More information :
https://www.linkedin.com/company/archisols/
https://www.facebook.com/archisols.brussels/
Contacts
Julie Goffaux – Project coordinator jgoffaux@urban.brussels
Géry Leloutre – Contact at ULB Gery.Leloutre@ulb.be
