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Cities cannot go green without soil microorganisms

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Urban soils must move from providing single, engineered functions to supporting multifunctionality. Managing their microbiomes could simultaneously strengthen climate regulation, water retention, pollutant removal, biodiversity and human health, but only if biological restoration is coupled to risk assessment, long-term monitoring and equitable access.

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Fig. 1: Steps towards the integration of soil microbiomes in city planning.

Subjects

  • Microbial ecology
  • Soil microbiology

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany

    Stefanie Schulz & Michael Schloter

  2. Chair of Environmental Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany

    Michael Schloter

Authors

  1. Stefanie Schulz
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  2. Michael Schloter
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Correspondence to
Stefanie Schulz.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Schulz, S., Schloter, M. Cities cannot go green without soil microorganisms.
Nat Rev Microbiol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-026-01380-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-026-01380-1

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