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Short abstract:

This paper explores how Military-Industrial Brownfield in Tel Aviv, often seen as an impediment to urban development, paradoxically fosters urban nature, proposing 'celebrated toxicity' as a concept of contamination's positive role in challenging our capitalist society's ecological degradation.

Long abstract:

In this paper, we ethnographically explore the complex relationship between soil contamination and urban ecological flourishing in Tel Aviv, challenging views of urban development and environmental degradation via the lens of three Military-Industrial Brownfields . By introducing the concept of 'celebrated toxicity', we underscore the potential positive impacts of soil contamination in creating spaces where urban nature can thrive amidst our 'capitalist society's ruins'. This perspective aligns with the panel's focus on reimagining soil not merely as a natural resource but as an anthropogenic entity, embodying a dynamic interplay between natural and cultural elements nurtured through human care.

Our analysis situates the paradox of soil contamination within a broader discourse on soil repair and ecological care, illustrating how areas hindered by contamination can inadvertently serve as sanctuaries for biodiversity. This investigation contributes to the panel's exploration of soil recuperation after pollution, presenting contaminated urban sites as living ecologies that benefit from and respond to thoughtful human intervention and bioremediation efforts.

By engaging with soil ecologies, remediation practices, and the aesthetics of contaminated landscapes, our study extends an invitation to speculate on and artistically reimagine soil health, commons, and futures. We argue for the recognition of contaminated soils as spaces of potential, where ecological and social transformation can be ignited through the reevaluation of our interactions with and care for soil.