Assessment of Soil Quality for Urban Planning and Green Infrastructure in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory

This study assesses soil quality in urban and peri-urban areas of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, in relation to suitability for green infrastructure including urban parks, roadside tree planting, and urban agriculture. As Abuja expands rapidly, urban development modifies natural soils through compaction, capping, and contamination, and understanding the resulting urban soil quality is essential for sustainable urban green infrastructure planning. Using a professional urban soil assessment design, 50 sampling points were established across four urban development zones in Abuja: central business district, established residential areas, new-growth peri-urban zones, and green belt areas. Samples were collected at 0 to 20 cm and 20 to 40 cm Soil Sciencehs and analysed for bulk density, penetration resistance, organic carbon, pH, heavy metals, compaction Soil Scienceh, sealing status, and drainage class. An urban soil quality index was calculated for each zone. Findings revealed that central business district and established residential soils had the lowest quality scores (mean index 0.28 of 1.0), characterised by extreme compaction, low organic carbon, and elevated lead and cadmium from traffic and construction activities. New-growth peri-urban soils retained moderate quality if recently disturbed but showed rapid compaction under construction traffic. Green belt soils maintained the highest quality scores (0.61). The study recommends mandatory urban soil quality assessment before greenspace certification, adoption of continuous tree pit designs to reduce compaction in roadside plantings, and the use of urban compost to restore organic matter in heavily degraded city soils. Keywords: urban soil quality, green infrastructure, Abuja, compaction, urban planning.