Article 4 of the Europan 18 Results Catalogue
Check out the articles of the Europan 18 catalogue!
Learn more about each theme and sub-theme, through the articles of the catalogue.
Read the article « From Soil to Groundswell : Emerging Landscape Processes » is extracted from the E18 Catalogue of Results
The article, written by Miriam García García (ES) PhD architect, landscape architect & urban designer. LANDLAB, laboratorio de paisajes, Barcelona (ES), explores how soil can act as a living and regenerative infrastructure in contemporary urban design. The article argues that urban regeneration should focus less on buildings themselves and more on ecological processes, biodiversity, and the relationship between landscape and community. Through several Europan-winning projects, the author shows how abandoned industrial or urban areas can be transformed by working with existing natural conditions rather than replacing them. Soil is presented as an active element that supports ecological restoration, water management, social interaction, and climate resilience. The projects discussed use strategies such as ecological corridors, wetlands, urban forests, productive gardens, recycled materials, and phased urban development to create adaptable and sustainable environments.
The article concludes that urban regeneration should be understood as a long-term process where architecture, ecology, and society evolve together, with soil becoming the foundation for resilient and cooperative urban futures.
>> Click here to read more about the article from Miriam García