The following comments about infrastructure and underground space are intended to 1) underscore the fact that infrastructure is essential to sustainable development and 2) to bring another dimension to the attention of planners; that of the unexpected option of efficiently using underground space to promote sustainable development and to aid in the fight against global warming.

Sustainable Development requires a true multi-disciplinary approach. This includes all aspects of society such as education, training, economics, health, communications, safety, shelter and infrastructure, etc. Attention to all these and more will improve the standard of living. Done properly in a balanced way, the standard of living can be improved while still respecting the principles of sustainable development.

The emphasis on infrastructure (and underground space) in this blog is in no way intended to take away from all the other important sustainability issues such as education, green architecture & construction, etc. Rather this adds new tools for promoting sustainable development for multi-disciplinary considerations.

Society requires infrastructure in order to be sustainable! It is essential to construct all types of infrastructure such as water supply and wastewater treatment schemes, roads, bridges, etc. Community leaders must make extraordinary efforts to plan for those essential services at the earliest possible time in the development of an urban area. In the spirit of sustainable development planning for underground space is needed to ensure that current construction does not obstruct or prevent other essential underground construction in the future.

It could take a decade to plan and develop some of these essential services whether above or below ground. For instance, sometimes clean water must be brought hundreds of km to the city, treated, and then distributed to individual homes all of which requires a long lead time. Long lead times exist for most infrastructure including transportation.

Once basic infrastructure is planned it is usually found to be impossible, and environmentally unacceptable, in cities, especially Mega Cities, to provide the entire necessary infrastructure at the ground surface. Though it may be unexpected, often the best infrastructure for sustainable development is provided by tunnels and underground space. Underground space use offers abundant benefits for all types of society, ranging from rural to mega cities, for many aspects of quality of life, resource conservation, infrastructure expansion, and disaster prevention. A few examples follow.

The most dramatic and important use of underground space for sustainable development is that tunnels are used to bring clean water in and to take wastewater out to promote health and sustainability worldwide (United Nations Millennium Development Goal, MDG 6).

Tunnels and underground space are also used to transport, store, treat, and dispose of wastewater safely, out of sight, and in the most environmental way (MDG 6).

Underground space use is generally energy efficient and conserves energy, thus promoting sustainable development and it is an ally in the fight against global warming (MDG 7).

There are great benefits to society by the use of tunnels, microtunnels, and underground space for public use and bulk storage of water, fuel, and other goods in mega cities which allows for more efficient use of the ground surface (MDG 7). In many cases, public facilities, and even housing, are built underground or partially underground to provide significant energy savings without sacrificing livability (MDG 7).

Underground space provides safe havens during natural and man-made hazards including from earthquakes. Underground structures are subject to less stress and run a much lower risk of damage in earthquakes, in wind storms, and from violence (MDG 7). Infrastructure is an investment, not a cost.

So when thinking about solutions promoting sustainable development, think in addition to and beyond the essentials such as education, shelter, etc. and consider infrastructure and remember that, sometimes the best infrastructure may be underground.