Sustainable Development and Management of the Shallow Subsurface

Urban Futures: the sustainable management of the ground beneath cities

“…The citizens of many cities of the world already spend much time underground in direct response to their local climate. Residents of towns and cities including Montréal and Toronto, Canada, Coober Pedy, Australia and Beijing, China all spend significant time underground to escape hot summers or cold winters (de Mulder and Pereira, 2009;de Mulder et al, 2012). There is increasing global recognition of the opportunities for subterranean development although their social acceptance as genuine solutions for living remains some way off.…”

“…There is increasing global recognition of the opportunities for subterranean development although their social acceptance as genuine solutions for living remains some way off. Designs for 'geodomes' comprising connected underground structures between 50 and 500 m below ground level and maintaining constant and predictable temperatures provide options for storage and even recreation (de Mulder et al, 2012).…”

“…This level corresponds to the approximate depth of the construction of buried sewerage networks as part of the Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Project and its associated wastewater pumping stations (http://www.adssc.ae/en-us/Steps/Pages/Snappy.aspx). Evans et al, (2009) andde Mulder et al, (2012) recognise the likely future increase in the use of subsurface space. Evans et al, (2009) consider expansion of current and development of future uses of the subsurface including those outside the municipal boundaries of cities.…”

“…A vast array of invasive and non-invasive techniques are available for the investigation of the subsurface and its properties and a useful review of them is provided by de Mulder et al, (2012). Geological, engineering geological and hydrogeological maps and 3D geological models are often used to provide an initial assessment of the likely properties of the ground and their variability.…”

“…There is currently a lack of consistent legislation and management which integrates options for sustainable subsurface management into land-use planning and associated legislation. Current use of the shallow subsurface to around 10 m below ground level has often taken place without consideration of its potential interaction with other uses, resulting in dense use of space and often competing uses for space (Bobylev, 2009). De Mulder et al, (2012 provides a comprehensive review of the legal, legislative and policy factors affecting subsurface development, including ownership and spatial planning.…”