Abstract
Urban soils appear as very complex ecosystems in which the anthropic pressures give them unique features that render them different from natural or agricultural soils. Although the soil classification systems provide for the description of anthropogenic or technogenic soils, a number of drawbacks has hindered a systematic taxonomic studies. In Italy, the interest has been directed mainly on the contamination of urban soils. The studies have started in the 1970s, and data are now available for a number of cities. The soils of large cities like Rome, Naples and Turin have been studied in view of their size and the intensity of the polluting sources therein, but also mid-sized cities such as Ancona or Palermo have been investigated. A common trait of all cities is the high spatial variability of their soils together with a high level of contamination. Numerical classification appears then to be preferable to the classic systems for application in urban areas.
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Ajmone Marsan, F., Zanini, E. (2013). Soils in Urban Areas. In: Costantini, E., Dazzi, C. (eds) The Soils of Italy. World Soils Book Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5642-7_10
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