Durabilitas has worked with partners on a multi-year project to develop recommendations for better consideration of soils in spatial planning. They are aimed at actors at the three levels of government – federal, cantonal and municipal – according to a press release from the Foundation for Sustainable Development. They are based on the application of the Soil Quality Index(SoilQI), which has already been used in countries such as Germany, Austria and Belgium for several years.
For the recommendations now presented, Durabilitas and its partners have analysed the application of the SoilQI in these countries. On the other hand, the application of the SoilQI in Swiss pilot projects was analysed. The project was supplemented by the evaluation of a national support group made up of experts from various disciplines.
The SoilQI can be used to record and map the quality of soils. It thus offers “a simple planning aid, for example to direct construction activities to locations with lower soil quality wherever possible and to preserve high-quality soils”, according to the press release.