REGENSOILL

REGENSOILL will establish a network of transdisciplinary Living Labs (LLs) to advance the remediation and green redevelopment of brownfields across Europe. Brownfields are widespread sources of soil degradation, undermining ecosystem services, public health and opportunities for sustainable urban development. The project responds directly to the EU Soil Mission objective of achieving healthy soils by 2030 through co-created, demonstrable and replicable solutions. Five LLs located in Birmingham (UK), Budapest (HU), Lille Metropole (FR), Upper Silesia (PL) and a Baltic cluster (EE–LV–LT) will act as real-world testbeds. Each LL brings together municipalities, universities, SMEs, citizens and NGOs in a quadruple helix approach. They will co-design, trial and evaluate nature-based and circular economy approaches to soil remediation, including biochar amendments, phytomanagement and integrated water-soil buffering systems. The project couples technical pilots with structured stakeholder engagement and soil literacy campaigns. A standardised framework for soil literacy assessment will be developed, collecting feedback from diverse citizens, pupils, students and professionals. These actions ensure that co-creation processes are inclusive, measurable and scalable across regions. Digital twin dashboards, baseline studies and BACI monitoring designs will provide harmonised indicators aligned with EUSO-19 and brownfield-specific KPIs, enabling comparability and replication. Governance and finance models will be tested to ensure pathways are legally robust, economically viable and socially accepted. An associated governmental partner provides high-level feedback on policy coherence and soil law. Expected impacts include: improved soil quality and ecosystem services, tested and replicable NbS-based remediation models, stronger municipal capacity, enhanced citizen soil literacy and co-creation standards, and full integration into the SOILL network. REGENSOILL contributes to the EU Soil Mission by generating harmonised evidence and tested remediation pathways that support the transition from degraded brownfields to healthy, multifunctional and climate-resilient soils.