Participatory Workshop in Gothenburg: Integrating Soil into Urban Planning with special focus on contaminated land and mass management.
The first participatory workshop of the SPADES project for the City of Gothenburg pilot case took place on 30th September 2025 at Chalmersska huset. The event brought together a group of stakeholders and presenters to explore how soil—particularly contaminated land and excavated masses—can be considered early in urban planning processes within City of Gothenburg pilot.
The workshop aimed to inspire dialogue, share knowledge, and collectively reflect on current practices and future opportunities for soil-inclusive planning. It marked the ending of the diagnostic phase of the SPADES project for the City of Gothenburg pilot.
Around 13 participants attended, including representatives from:
- City of Gothenburg’s Land Development, Environment, and Recycling & Water Departments
- Norrköping Municipality
- Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
- Chalmers University of Technology
- Delft University of Technology
The agenda featured presentations by experts from academia, government, and urban design. Presentations were held on the topic of implications of the EU’s new Soil Monitoring Law and its implementation on a national and local level, inspiring examples of integrating land issues into city design, and experiences were shared from Norrköping Municipality on sustainable soil mass management.
After the presentations, the stakeholders participated in an interactive session and group discussions, which allowed the stakeholders to reflect upon how contaminated soil and mass management are currently addressed in the planning processes within the City of Gothenburg and their current respective roles. These reflections were documented and used to complete the SPADES Diagnostic workbook, which was designed to analyse current spatial and soil practices across 17 pilots. Among other information, this included the identification of relevant stakeholders and relevant soil-inclusive planning concepts for the City of Gothenburg
In the group discussions, stakeholders emphasised that there is a need to treat contaminated soil as a strategic planning factor rather than a late-stage issue. They highlighted challenges such as unclear responsibilities, lack of early data, and limited financial incentives for remediation. Long-term planning and clearer communication were seen as essential for proactive soil management. In terms of management of excavated masses, the stakeholders called for earlier assessments, better risk assessment, clearer roles and responsibilities, and digital systems to track material flows.
Looking Ahead
This workshop underscored the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration and early integration of soil-related issues in urban planning. It laid the groundwork for future actions within the SPADES project and highlighted the value of participatory approaches in shaping sustainable urban development.
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