Urban Metabolism Data Curation is a research-infrastructure activity dedicated to making heterogeneous urban-metabolism datasets more accessible, interoperable and reusable. It addresses a persistent challenge in the field: studies often rely on incompatible classifications, spatial units, time periods and documentation practices, limiting comparison and cumulative knowledge.

The work includes database harmonisation, metadata development, documentation, data-governance support and the clarification of provenance. It also engages researchers and external stakeholders so that curation reflects practical needs and supports the long-term accessibility of knowledge rather than functioning as a one-off technical exercise.

Within the Urban Metabolism Lab, data curation connects individual projects and helps preserve their value beyond a single publication. It supports transparent modelling, cross-case comparison and future decision-support tools, while providing a foundation for FAIR-oriented research practices. No separate external grant is publicly identified; the activity is maintained through the institutional research infrastructure of the University of Louvain.