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THIS TEXT IS AN EXCERPT FROM AN ONGOING REPORT

Amsterdam, the Netherlands 

and the Rhine-Meuse Delta

The Rhine-Meuse basin is one of the most significant river systems in Europe. Its delta, which occupies much of the Netherlands, is managed through a complex network of canals, polders, and levees. Anthropogenic transformation, driven by centuries of extractive modes of urbanization, has profoundly impacted the eco-hydrological systems within the delta.

The Randstad, one of the densest human-populated regions in Europe, is in the center of the delta and lies mostly below sea level. It is protected by a series of water infrastructures, namely dike ring 14, which are essential for the continuation of human habitability in the region. However, the processes that maintain these systems have led to subsidence, substantial soil degradation and steep declines in biodiversity, both above and below ground.

 

Water and soil are intricately related (Cortesi, 2022) and must be considered holistically; the sustainability of each system is dependent on the careful management of the other, particularly in urban areas like the Randstad.  

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The biomes of the Rhine-Meuse basin. The delta is indicated in blue.

Soil stores more carbon worldwide than is contained in all plant biomass above ground (Terrer et al., 2021). Healthy soil prevents erosion and mitigates drought and flood due to its ability to absorb and store high quantities of water (Bünemann et al., 2018). Only recently has it become understood that soil requires continued care (de la Bellacasa, 2017), urban soils included. 

But soil ecosystems, like so many other ecosystems, are under increasing stress from anthropogenic activity (van der Putten et al., 2023). Globally, over a third of Earth's soil is degraded due to industrialization and modernization processes (Watts, 2019; Ontl & Schulte, 2012; European Commission, 2020), particularly through ongoing urbanization (Ferreira, Walsh & Ferreira, 2018).

Soil conditions in Amsterdam are particularly complex, often sealed under asphalt or contaminated with heavy metals (Gemeente Amsterdam, 2024), posing a direct risk to human health. 

Recognizing soil's significance requires a paradigm shift in urban spatial planning and design. A soil-positive form of urbanization, what some have called a ‘multispecies urbanism’ (Solomon & Nevejan, 2019), would not only lead to healthier soil (communities), but would also increase the soil's sponge capacity, assist efforts to reduce emissions, improve the resilience of cities to climate change and adaptation, help restore biodiversity (Ojo et al., 2022) and provide much more open green space for our species and others alike. 

Substantial sections of the city center lack green space and connectivity between existing green spaces is lacking. European Environment Agency, 2011

EEA-2011-Amsterdam-Soil-Sealing-Map.jpg
de kaskantine

A community garden in Amsterdam Westlandgracht

Interviews with local stakeholders, including gardeners, urban planners, ecologists, and policymakers have offered insight into the socio-environmental relations across Amsterdam, highlighting the historical material conditions, contemporary challenges and potential interventions in managing water, soil, and biodiversity in this highly modified yet ecologically critical region.

The full report will be published upon the project's completion in 2026.​ See the (working) map of soil care actors around the city of Amsterdam, and the exhibition of some of our findings at Dutch Design Week '24.

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