Samara City Underground Urbanization Development and Its Consequences

Abstract

Nowadays the area of cities is almost everywhere increasing - the territory urbanization is developing. At the same time, due to lack of land resources, the underground space development intensifi es, and the underground construction volume increases, i.e., underground urbanization takes place. This process has undoubtedly positive results, as it can help solve territorial, transport, environmental and other problems of cities while preserving the unique appearance of buildings in the historical centers of cities. At the same time, some engineering and geological processes may be activated as a negative underground urbanization result. The article deals with underground urbanization history in Samara and defi nes its main stages. More than one million people live in Samara city, subway line was built, there are subway objects of industrial and defense importance (bunkers) reaching considerable depth. Active underground construction can lead to geological processes strengthening (weathering, karst formation, suff osia, etc.), change of strength properties of rocks, violation of natural hydrological regime of the territory. The territory of Samara has an inhomogeneous geological structure and complex engineering and geological construction conditions. Seven engineering-geological districts have been identifi ed and studied, on the territory where underground construction development can lead to diff erent, including negative, consequences.