UNderstanding and enabling the transition towards reverting soil SEALing for improving urban biodiversity and nature-based solutions
Abstract:
The aim of UNSEAL is to advance our understanding of processes of soil unsealing in urban areas and to identify opportunities towards further unsealing and creation of new urban space for biodiversity. Unsealing here refers to the removal of buildings and other impervious surfaces, and its repurposing for green infrastructure. As such, it represents a circular model for regenerating, repurposing, protecting and conserving urban space for biodiversity. Central to this aim is an inter- and transdisciplinary approach applied to five case studies areas throughout Europe. These differ in their implementation stage, ranging from visioning and exploration to implementation of unsealing activities, allowing us to address unsealing in a systemic way and facilitate co-creation with stakeholders at all relevant stages.
UNSEAL builds on an international and interdisciplinary consortium of universities, research institutes, municipalities, SMEs, and NGOs with strong links to the five case studies, and includes co-creation activities with citizens and planners throughout the project. This setup ensures a constant triangulation between scientific findings, policy relevance, and societal benefits.
The activities within the UNSEAL project will deliver new insights into 1) levers for a paradigm shift in land use planning and policy towards soil unsealing for nature-positive urban development, 2) successful approaches for justice and equity consideration in unsealing activities through co-creation, and 3) potential of out-scaling methodological lessons towards other cities in Europe, facilitated by generic and scalable tools.
Objective of CCMESI focuses on the analysis and quantification of the benefits of unsealing in terms of biodiversity and ecosystems services provided. To that effect we systematically collect and review evidence to analyze bundles or ecosystem services, rather than individual benefits;
Project number: COFUND-UNSEAL-1
Project contract: 157 from 01/03/2026
Financer: UEFISCDI, DUT Call 2024, Co-funded by the European Commission
Duration: 2026-2028
Budget: 925.000 LEI (1907.60 LEI con-funded by the EU)
Staff:
Mihai Razvan Nita (project leader)
Cristian Ioja
Alina Hossu
Ana Maria Popa
Partners:
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – Project Coordinator
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL
University of Bucharest
University of the Aegean
Physi Solutions Kft.
Crowd Policy
Gemeente Leiden
Asociația InformART
Reflex Környezetvédő Egyesület
Plan Biodivers GmbH
Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Dimon Chalandriou