Lille Metropole’s REVALS (REveal and VAlorise Life of Soils) project selected as a winner of the HuMUS open call!

HuMUS and EU missions

HuMUS is a european project which is integrated within one of the five EU Missions, each of which represent key areas for research development. The EU Missions are embedded within the HORIZON Europe programme for the years 2021-2027. In this sense, research and innovation are put at the forefront of the development of solutions. There are five EU Missions, including :  

1) Adaptation to Climate Change: support at least 150 European regions and communities to become climate resilient by 2030

2) Cancer: working with Europe's Beating Cancer Plan to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 through prevention, cure and solutions to live longer and better

3) Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030

4) 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030

5) A Soil Deal for Europe: 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030

As part of the fifth mission regarding soils within the EU, the Healthy Municipal Soils (HuMUS) project « engages and activates municipalities and regions to protect and restore soil health. (…) Using a trans-disciplinary approach and a multi-stakeholder methodology for planning and coordinating local production and consumption, HuMUS will stimulate social innovation. » The project’s focus goes beyond the remit of just agricultural soil, as it includes a holistic approach to soil health which extends to all types of soil and land use. Through this call for expressions of interest, HuMUS was offering grants of up to a maximum of €30,000 for innovative projects (total budget : €600,000). Find out more about HuMUS here, and about the EU Missions in Horizon Europe here. To find out more about our winning projet REVALS and about Lille Metropole’s local policies, strategies and projects, simply read on !

Lille Metropole’s local REVALS (REveal and VAlorise Life of Soils) project

• What is the local context ?

Due to our industrial past, much of the land that makes up the Lille Metropolitan area is polluted soil, and this is the case for the 6300M² plot of land on which the project is located. The site, heavily linked with the textile industry during the 19th and 20th centuries, is now a brownfield. In most cases, these kind of sites are managed by excavating polluted soil and replacing it with imported healthy soil. However, this process is expensive and is often paid for by building more structures in the city, leading to more soil sealing. Lille Metropole believes that it is important to involve the local community in order to find cheaper, sustainable and innovative solutions which enable the restoration of the soil and the creation of green spaces in a manner that befits all stakeholders. As such, the REVALS project is based on a ongoing collective approach to restore degraded soils and install an urban farm called la Ferme du Trichon. The aim of this project is to reveal the created value and integrate it into the decision-making process of public actors, while reclaiming the land and improving scientific knowledge linked to the de-pollution of soils.

• What is the REVALS project and how does it work ?

The REVALS project was launched by a group of local residents, organised as an NGO, that wanted to transform a brownfield in the communuity into an urban garden and local market. However, due to the aforementioned issues with the quality of the land, there was a need for the provision of support from technicians from Lille Metropole and researchers. From the implication of all these stakeholders, from citizens to civil society to academia to public authorities was born a scientific, social and sustainable project which aims to measure soil quality and to evaluate several soil remediation solutions. The project therefore consists of finding news ways of revitalising the quality of local soils, through new scientific experiments and innovative evaluation methodologies, with a view for re-developing the soil quality in order to establish a local market and urban garden. This project is both innovative in nature and sustainable in practice, because it is based on the cross-fertilisation of several experimental socio-environnemntal accounting methods including CEROI (Community Economy Return On Investment), CARE (Comprehensive Accounting in Respect of Ecology) and ECAF (Eco-system-centered Accounting Framework). Furthermore, the results of this research will be analysed with a view for replication on other degraded or polluted soils. The results of this research will be compiled, analysed and presented by the end of the year 2024, while additional funding through the HuMUS project will enable the co-creation of further assessment tools as well as potential scaling-up activities. Finally, this project is also innovative because as a result of the REVALS project, Lille Metropole would like to propose an agreement to make municipal land available in return for the creation of social, societal and environmental value, as opposed to paying a rental fee. This is a first in France !

Lille Metropole’s work in the field of soil restoration

This project is an illustration Lille Metropole’s broader commitment to soil restoration. Through specific policies, projects and strategies, Lille Metropole is working hard to transform the legacy of an industrial past characterised by large amounts of polluted soils into a new reality of sustainable urban development. In order to achieve this, Lille Metropole’s strategy consists of involving all local stakeholders in the process. Don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out more !