The future of the underground space

It is only during the last decade that there has been a growing consciousness and alertness regarding environmental problems, At the same time, infrastructure is becoming more complex, demanding extra space and directly affecting the quality of life in the urban environment. Building underground would initiate new developments and also improve the quality of life, Today, cities cannot withstand traditional planning and building practice, and in the following years they will have to go through a transformation process. This paper will deal with the planning and design aspects of a few realised underground projects, These projects are good examples of improving the urban environment just by better "layering" and concentration of functions. Through specific design proposals they also managed to improve the quality of the underground environment, showing that the prejudices regarding underground spaces, so deeply anchored, have little justification. Discussing the "Quality of Life" it is not possible to omit Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the role it can play in daily activities and influence it may have on urban forms in the future. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.