Reconstructing urban soil genesis using historical maps and archival documents: the case of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert in Brussels’s 20th-century belt

Bossard, Alexandre
(2025) Urbanism&Urbanisation International PhD seminar (11th edition) — Location: Venice, Italy (29.October.2025)

Files

Presentationslides.pdf
  • Restricted Access
  • Adobe PDF
  • 9.51 MB
Request a copy
Fullpaper.pdf
  • Open Access
  • Adobe PDF
  • 1.41 MB
Download

Details

Authors
Abstract
Urban soils represent a critical yet overlooked component of the urban environment. This paper addresses the lack of comprehensive urban soil data by developing a methodology based on historical documents to reconstruct soil transformations in Brussels’s 20th-century urban belt, focusing on the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. The research first identifies areas of significant soil displacement, distinguishing between excavations and backfilled zones. These spatial analyses are further contextualised through historical aerial imagery and archival records, which reveal the context and drivers behind soil movement. The findings challenge the perception of Brussels’s "green belt" as build on pristine or minimally altered soil. Instead, the study demonstrates that these areas were historically sites of industrial activity, supplying raw materials for the urbanisation of central districts. Following extraction, many sites underwent backfilling or landfilling, only to be later urbanised, creating a palimpsest of soil alterations beneath contemporary neighbourhoods. The paper argues that understanding these historical trajectories is essential for interpreting present-day soil conditions and anticipating potential risks, such as contamination. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by Innoviris for research funding, the FNRS for travel expenses to the conference, and LAB for additional costs related to participation and registration.
Affiliations

Citations

  • APA
  • Chicago
  • FWB

Bossard, A. (2025). Reconstructing urban soil genesis using historical maps and archival documents: the case of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert in Brussels’s 20th-century belt. Urbanism&Urbanisation International PhD seminar (11th edition), Venice, Italy.