Urban underground space (UUS) proves to be an effective means to meet the needs of the city and at the same time deal with climate change, population growth, energy crisis and infrastructural demand. Although the merits of UUS have been thoroughly recognized abroad and the significance of the subsurface in urban renewal is clear, stakeholders do not know yet how UUS can assist them in pursuing their goals of creating vital, sustainable cities. Urban underground spaces should be part of the redevelopment of cities, especially when it holds the key for better redevelopment projects and upscaling the settlement area. It is time for an integrated approach for UUS and the surface when it comes to urban planning and design. 

UUS combined with the redevelopment of urban areas holds some of the answers for meeting the needs of the expanding cities. The (research)question  remains how UUS can be taken into account in urban redevelopment projects to accommodate the growing needs of the city from an integrated urban planning and design point of view.

This project aims to develop an innovative framework for integrating UUS in urban redevelopment projects from an urban planning and design point of view.

Researcher(s)Shana Debrock
Period: 2018 - present

Plaza de Domingo Gascón, 44001 Teruel, Aragon, Spain


Louvre, Paris, France


NY (USA), Low line


Beirout (Libanon), nightclub, by Bernard Khoury