SUITMA 9: Urbanization as a challenge and an opportunity for soils functions and ecosystem services

Soils of Urban, Industrial, Traffic, Mining and Military Areas (SUITMAs) present a novel, interesting and very important topic for investigation and discussion. Soil-forming factors, properties and processes of SUITMAs are completely different from those of natural soils. SUITMAs’ functions and ecosystem services are still rarely studied and likely underestimated. The 9th SUITMA congress provided a platform to discuss theoretical and practical aspects of monitoring, assessment, modelling and management of SUITMAs to understand their roles in environment and society. © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2019.