Testing Torino's soil
Soil quality parameters and their use in European urban areas have been identified. This has been done in order to provide local, national and European authorities with decision support tools for sustainable planning and management of the soil resource in cities across Europe. Included in this investigation is the city of Torino, Italy where soil environmental quality was conveyed via a measurement of a large set of very efficient general and specific indicators. The soils were selected from various sites such as roadsides, parks, open spaces, riverbanks and ornamental gardens. Soil samples were taken and examined for basic physico-chemical properties, particle size and metal content. The results indicate that urban soils in a city the size of Torino are heavily polluted even beyond legal limits and that they show high horizontal and vertical variability. This reveals the human influence on the shaping and evolution of urban soil. Incorporating the soil data into a GIS system enables the spatial management of the results and the production of urban soil maps that can be used to show contaminants. The results of the measurements can be useful for local administrators to provide future monitoring strategies, environmental thresholds or remediation goals as well as to help improve and protect citizen's health.
