Underground Urban Development: An Overview

Use of underground space in cities has a long history and may span significant areas. Today, it contributes to finding solutions for sustainable urban development, in particular in regions with harsh climatic conditions. Underground urban development is mainly determined by economic, environmental, geo-technical and legislative factors. These factors are briefly addressed in this paper. In addition, underground urban development requires vision and leadership from (local) politicians. Special attention is given to China, where significant underground urban development is undertaken today. Finally, this paper discusses perspectives and challenges related to underground urban development with special emphasis upon the role of engineering geologists.