The Good Dirt

The Climate Change Commission with Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has released a new report on Urban Soil, challenging us all to value soil and subsoil when we undertake urban development.

The Urban ground truths report investigates what happens to soil in the course of the urban residential land development process. It identifies the practices that are undermining the health and extent of soil in new subdivisions and infill developments, as well as market and regulatory drivers behind these practices. This report follows up on findings made during the Commissioner’s 2023 enquiry, Are we building harder, hotter cities? The vital importance of urban green space. It comes at a time when the Minister of Housing and RMA Reform is calling for Council’s to zone for 30 years of residential growth and is an important consideration when we plan for developing this land.

The report makes recommendations around better protection of urban soil:

• National guidance should be provided on urban soil and the services it supports, including clarification for councils on their role in soil conservation. Guidance should include recommended depths of topsoil and subsoil in urban green spaces.
• Councils should look at incentives to encourage developers to conserve and protect soil and reuse soils on site where possible.
• Territorial authorities should be required to undertake prior planning for stormwater management for urban growth using tools such as integrated management catchment plans.

The Commissioner has gone on record as saying that the solution isn’t in creating more regulation, but in working better together to undertake urban development in a way that doesn’t compromise what lies beneath.

The report can be found HERE.