Urban Underground Commercial Spaces - Approaches and Planning

Author - Ar. Shailvi Shah, [Link]. (SA) BVDUCOA, Pune

Email: [Link]@[Link]
Co-author – Ar. Aditi Lanke, Associate Professor, [Link]. (SA) BVDUCOA, Pune
Email: avl@bvcoa.i
Shailvi Shah, [Link]. (SA) BVDUCOA, Pune
Completed Graduation in Architecture from VMCA, Surat, and pursuing a Masters in Sustainable
Architecture from BVDUCOA, Pune. Worked as an intern with Ar. Ishwar Gehi, Rajkot on Harmonious
design that breathes Architecture in various scales of projects. As a junior Architect worked at Atelier
[D] Sync, Surat on Urban design projects and a Postgraduate internship with Shashwat, Green Building
Consultancy, Pune. Currently working with Ernst and Young firm as a part-time Architect and
sustainable consultant.
Aditi Lanke, Associate Professor, [Link]. SA
Completed Graduation in Architecture from Shivaji University, Kolhapur and post-graduation in Sustainable
Architecture from BVDUCOA, Pune. She has been working with BVDUCOA for the last 14 years. Currently
working with BVDUCOA, Pune Institutional Consultancy, Industry Institute Collaborations and a member of
BOS in Architecture, BVDU since 2015. Organized various workshops and seminars for the faculty and students.
Working with various professional organizations like MEDA, IGBC, GRIHA, ISLE, IIE, Pune and the rest for
professional and academic collaborations.

ABSTRACT
Humanity is facing enormous challenges as it moves into the Anthropocene – the era where human
intervention is influencing the Earth’s natural systems. Human Beings are a part of a transition that
requires seeking a new balance between nature and humanity. The transition aims for new paradigms
that question the past and show new ways toward a sustainable future. Earth has so much to offer, before
leaving this planet in search of other worlds, we believe we should see what underground space has to
offer. Urbanization has led to various challenges like pollution, rapid sprawl, environmental degradation,
etc that mainly impact two different dimensions ie. Land and Economy. The trend of increasing
urbanization results in dense urban spaces creating economic and environmental sectors. Land scarcity
has become a major issue due to increasing population and urban sprawl resulting in enormous
challenges in urban areas. Decreasing land availability and increasing urbanization has compelled the
use of Urban Underground Spaces (UUS). The concept of ―0-land use‖ is an idealistic approach to urban
growth and development using just underground space. The use of underground facilities can positively
impact the extent to which human occupancy of a land area affects the surface environment. It
contributes to the sustainability of the environment in many ways: saving natural resources, including
land, water, and biodiversity; reducing air pollution and enhancing the overall landscape and
environmental quality. The bold insight of imagining the urban fabric in three dimensions has increased
the focus on underground urbanism specifically for commercial spaces considering the footprint and
scale. The research paper aims to investigate approaches and planning of Urban Underground
Commercial Spaces by analyzing the usage pattern of existing underground spaces and analyzing the
usage pattern of existing underground commercial spaces using case study methods. The paper
culminates with the identification and enlisting of feasible parameters of the design and construction of
urban underground commercial spaces.

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Keywords – Underground spaces, Urban Underground spaces, underground commercial spaces,
planning of urban underground commercial spaces, land scarcity

|INTRODUCTION TO URBAN UNDERGROUND SPACES

―Underground space can be literally defined as a geospace situated beneath the ground level, which is
also referred to as subsurface space, subterranean space, or simply the underground and the subsurface
in related studies.‖ (Peng, Yong , Sabri, & Atazadeh, 2021) Considering a wider perspective,
underground space includes all the elements, either biotic or abiotic, that exist between the ground
surface and Earth’s core. The significance of the use of underground space in urban areas has been
frequently highlighted as a means of addressing the problems caused by rapid urbanization. Therefore,
the term ―UUS‖ has been widely accepted with typical UUS characteristics. However, UUS is often
confused with the manmade space beneath cities, such as utility pipelines, tunnels, building basements,
metros, and garages. These facilities are some of the major concerns of decision-makers and planning
practitioners, who generally refer to UUS use to accommodate various urban functions such as storage,
industry, transport, utilities and communications, public service, and civil defense. This strategy is
considered to effectively extend the limited urban space for meeting the demands of the ever-increasing
population. Specifically, such manmade space should be named UUI (Urban Underground
Infrastructure), which can be defined as the artificially excavated physical space beneath the ground
level of a city surrounded by a rock or soil mass. The underground resources are valuable subsets of
UUS, while UUI, which one can consider to be equivalent to physical space, is one of the sub-categories
of underground resources. Underground space is a worthwhile societal asset and with our understanding
of it, the possibilities of use are rapidly increasing. As Douard Utudjian (1952) so poignantly phrased it
nearly 100 years ago: ―It is necessary that the urban planner thinks deep and that underground
development of cities is done not through random necessities, but according to a definite commitment,
legislate, on and a predetermined plan.‖ (Admiraal & Cornaro, 2018) A new urban paradigm is
required for the cities to overlook the use of underground space. Many challenges lie when considering
underground space. It is not just about the ever-growing population on this planet or the mass
immigration from rural areas to urban areas, it goes beyond that.
The key questions are:
1. Incorporating underground spaces will overcome land scarcity?
2. Are underground spaces feasible for all the building typologies in the Urban area?
3. How will underground space contribute towards the sustainable development of the city?
This is what an urban underground future is about: enabling cities to develop sustainably and be
resilient, liveable, and inclusive. Diverting the vision in this context can there be a place for underground

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space within urban development. It does, however, entail us to demonstrate that underground space can
only come about if it is shown to be part of a sustainable exploration of the subsurface.

|NEED FOR URBAN UNDERGROUND SPACES

Underground development is an important tool in developing and reshaping urban areas to meet the
challenges of the future. The trend of increasing urbanization is creating problems worldwide, both
vertical and horizontal growth of the urban environment needs to be re-evaluated the further sustainable
development. The need for Urban Underground spaces arises due to the following reasons –

- To relieve the pressure on the increasingly overcrowded urban surface. These urban dynamics,
which are Changning over time, extend not only horizontally and upward, but also downward.
- To meet the demand for "alternating migrations" towards the city center. There is a classic
imbalance that is connected via transportation, it plays a very important role to maintain the
urban design of the city. Underground spaces would be more sustainable in terms of cost and
construction when it comes to transport infrastructure.
- To establish a relationship between underground and above-ground activities. The underground
spaces could sustain the maximum risk during seismic activities. The underground space when
put to use for useable facilities/ structures, the land above can be used for landscaping, open
urban spaces, etc. This will enhance the liveability of the city and make it more habitable.
- To accommodate facilities like libraries, art galleries, museums, swimming pools, sports
complexes, etc can be designed underground.
- To meet the increasing urbanization and growing legal framework to acquire land, it has become
a difficult and costly affair to take over land acquisition.

Research Gap
Many research studies have been conducted on Urban underground spaces, their typologies and their
classification. However, studies related to following aspects needs special attention -
- Urban underground spaces are unexplored in Indian context.
- There is a lack of relevant literature on Urban Underground commercial spaces

|UNDERGROUND SPACE AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

Urban Underground Sustainability

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In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as ―meeting the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.‖ The concept
itself is much older and stems from the premise that our natural resources are limited. As the Brundtland
Commission has stated: ―In its broadest sense, the strategy for sustainable development aims to promote
harmony among human beings and between humanity and nature‖ (World Commission on Environment
and Development, 1987). There are many ways in which the subsurface can be characterised. The
simplest would be to see the subsurface as the foundation of life. We use the subsurface to build our
cities. We use the subsurface to sow our crops and to harvest them. We extract materials from the
subsurface to fuel our industries and to build our cities. We are exploiting the subsurface for our needs.
The subsurface provides us with resources and with services. These resources are non-renewable – they
can be depleted. The ecosystem’s services are renewable – they can regenerate. This regeneration is,
however, limited in the sense that, when the natural processes are disturbed, the ecosystem services lose
their capacity to regenerate and will disappear. (Admiraal & Cornaro, 2018)

Sustainable Development Goals

All the United Nations Member States adopted the 2020 Agenda for Sustainable Development based on
17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were introduced in 2015 and 169 targets were set that
are integrated within the three-fold sustainable development of social, economic and environmental
cycles. They are mainly focusing on human rights realization, gender equality, women and girl’s
empowerment. The figure illustrates the 17 SDGs that must be achieved by 2030, focusing on people,
planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. The main vision is ―a world free of poverty, hunger, disease
and want, where all life can thrive; a world free of fear and violence; A world with universal literacy; A
world with equitable and universal access to quality education at all levels, to health care and social
protection, where physical, mental and social well-being are assured; A world where we reaffirm our
commitments regarding the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and where there is
improved hygiene; and where food is sufficient, safe, affordable and nutritious; A world where human
habitats are safe, resilient and sustainable and where there is universal access to affordable, reliable and
sustainable energy.‖

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Figure 1 Sustainable Development Goals
(Source: [Link]

|UNDERGROUND SPACE: TYPOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION

There are a variety of uses for underground space. It is better to group underground space in various
classes depending on different parameters, such as position, shape, geometry, and use. Such
classification is useful for designers in understanding as to what group/class of underground space is
being dealt with by them. Table 1 provides the major classification groupings chosen for underground
space use—function, geometry, origin, site features, and project features. Under each category, major
subcategories are listed. These subcategories further organize the way in which underground uses are
described.

Function
As mentioned in the book – “Underground infrastructures – Planning, Design and Construction)”
(Singh, Zhao, & Goel, 2012) Major uses according to their functions are divided into residential, non-
residential, infrastructure, and military uses. Uses are further separated into those for which user
reactions are important and others for which reactions are either a very secondary consideration or else
not applicable. This distinction is considered important as it is easier to develop underground facilities in
which user acceptance is not a major issue. There are few examples of residential structures in rock apart
from historical and archaeological uses. Non-residential underground structures are more common but
are more usually built as cut-and-cover buildings in soil than as excavated or mined buildings in rock.

Geometry
Geometrical information is important in organizing underground space use. The nature of raw space
utilized can be separated into uses involving underground caverns, uses developed by surface
excavations, and aquifer storage involving the pore space in soil or rock.

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Type
Under geometry, classification by type of space recognizes that most underground facilities are made up
of relatively few basic geometric elements— pore space/fissures, boreholes/shafts, tunnels, caverns and
trenches, or open pit excavations.

Depth
Classification by depth is always problematic for the wide number of uses and professional backgrounds
involved in underground construction. The specific dimensions of excavations may also be used to allow
the grouping of similar sizes of cavities for comparison of design and performance. The final category—
scale of project—allows a differentiation of projects by overall project scale, complexity, and size of
investment.

Relationship of structure with the ground

The element that characterizes underground structures is the relationship between the structure and the
ground surface. Based on this criterion, the uses of underground space may be subdivided into four
categories.

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Fenestration and Ground Relationship
The differentiation by fenestration and relationship to surface is typically unimportant for rock structures
as compared to earth-sheltered buildings. The major elements of the classification scheme were
presented by Labs (1976) and it is mostly used for small near-surface buildings. The large-scale uses
often involve several or all of the individual fenestration/ ground relationships within the overall
scheme.

Table 3 Classification of underground space use by fenestration and ground surface relationship (Labs 1976)
(Source: Underground Infrastructure – planning, design and construction)

Size
Size depends on two principal aspects –
1. The size of individual spaces in the terms of access and clear span. It includes widths, heights, clear
spans, and diameters.
2. The other important is overall size and complexity. Investments, social impacts, administrative
problems etc.

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|URBAN UNDERGROUND SPACES - IMPORTANT DESIGN

CONSIDERATION
There is a major difference in construction as it depends on various other factors like the Geological
factor, the formation of rock, hydrogeological factors, and the type of soil on which the construction is
going to take place. The method of construction, cost of construction, time span required for
construction, cost of land etc depends on the stability and workability of ground. While designing and
constructing underground structures few very important aspects are considered in terms of geology,

climate, psychology, engineering, cost and technology used for development.

Design Considerations
The design of underground structures is commonly for shear waves propagated vertically from the
bedrock. The vertical propagation of the shear wave causes the horizontal movement of soil. While
designing the underground structure, the following aspects are considered.

Geological Considerations
In accordance with the climate, geology controls the flow and action of surficial water, the extent and
location of groundwater resources, and the design for the foundation of other buildings. The city sites are
classified indicating both morphology and the rock or soil materials. Technically, the cities lying directly
on bedrock provide better foundations together with better opportunities for the use of underground
space. Map 1 shows the different types of soil found in India. Many cities do not fit into one general
classification. Apart from the subsoil conditions and morphology, local geological features are of
utmost importance which includes location, orientation, and design of underground works. The
geological factors controlling underground construction in rock is the self-nature of rock. Basically, the
rock system of India is divided into 4 major divisions based on this complex and varied geological

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 history – The Archean system, The Purana rock system, The Dravidian
rock system and The Aryan Rock system.
Climatic Considerations

As per ECBC, India is classified into five climatic zones namely Hot and
dry, Warm and Humid, Composite, Temperate, and Cold. The response of
subsurface or underground surfaces varies in various climatic zones. The
design principles depend on variable climatic factors along with
geographical location and geographical context. The factors are

● Temperature

● Humidity

● Precipitation and groundwater condition

● Ventilation or wind flow

In underground space, the ground weather occurs below the earth’s ground surface as the temperature of
air has an influence on the underground temperature but it gradually decreases as the distance increases
below ground. The air at the surface and the earth’s ground surface due to differences in temperature
heat exchange takes place. Warm air will warm the ground and vice versa for cold air. Cappadocia is
the deepest underground city and has a 55m ventilation shaft. The city is a masterpiece in engineering
because of its innovative ways of construction. They have holes at different levels to allow wind to pass
through.

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Psychological and Physiological Considerations
Underground structures have the advantage of various benefits but it is important to recognize the
negative association with underground spaces including darkness combined with humid, stale air and
lack of sunlight. Among the most powerful associations are those related to those of burial or fear of
being entrapped and the fear of being lost or disoriented. The main reason for disorientation is one
cannot find a normal reference point such as sun, sky, ground or any adjacent objects and spaces. Due to
loss of connection between natural world and the variety of changing weather conditions and sunlight.
Underground spaces display a wide spectrum of physical characteristics and functional uses. The

continues concern of overcrowding people in the underground reflects few historic images of dark, damp
environments that linger our mind.
Although lack of sunlight and view, inadequate lighting and ventilation, and fear of structural
collapse were seen as drawbacks for some workers, many positive advantages were cited as well. These
included constant temperature, protection from weather extremes, a unique work environment, a quite
space with few distractions and a safe environment protected from disasters.

Considerations for Construction

The underground structures are generally built with concrete as it is the strongest and most durable
building material. Steel is often used in conjunction with concrete to add stability to the structure. Apart
from material usage, there are other aspects to be decided as a part of construction like engineering, cost
and technology used.

Engineering:

Underground engineering can provide a means to reduce energy use, increase green space preservation
and sustainably help to conserve and store water and waste and enhance the quality of life. The ground is
self-supporting up to a certain span limit.

Cost:

The cost of construction of underground structures is more expensive than surface construction. Some
combinations of the geologist environment, the scale and the type of facility may provide direct savings
in construction costs. On the other hand, the initial cost of land purchase is saved. Land or lease cost for
an underground project can range from site purchase for the project that usurps the surface use to a very
small percentage of land/property value if no impact on the existing surface use will occur the owner has
little opportunity in developing use at the proposed depth. According to the book ―Underground
Infrastructures: Planning, Design, and Construction”, the cost of land decreases with depth as shown in
the Fig 5. Underground space has become an important resource for optimizing urban spatial structure,

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increasing urban capacity, improving urban efficiency, enhancing disaster prevention and mitigation,
alleviating traffic congestion, and improving public services and infrastructure. Considering
environmental factors and social benefits in the whole life cycle of the project, underground facilities
can become the number one priority for infrastructure development.‖ (Sulaiman & Devi, 2020)

Legal
and
Administrative:

After considering all the merits of the use of underground spaces, the biggest pause point is – who owns
the land? Legal and administrative decisions may act as a restriction in the development and use of
underground space. In India, there are no rules or bye–laws for the construction of underground spaces.
There are several issues that need to be focused while designing the underground structure. Humankind
has started digging the earth for their daily needs and thereby interfering with the ecosystem.
Contribution and participation in this study should be considered urgent. There are many prospects
under legal and administrative consideration which need special attention while designing urban
underground spaces.

|URBAN UNDERGROUND COMMERCIAL SPACES

Commercial space is used by businesses for trading their products with consumers. “Commercial
property is real estate that is used for business activities” (Chen, 2021). Commercial buildings are
further classified into five categories, which includes:

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 ● Office

● Retail – Retail stores, Shopping centres, shops

● Industrial – Warehouse, Factories

● Leisure – Hotels, pubs, restaurants, cafes, sports activities

● Healthcare – Medical centres, Hospitals, Nursing homes

The urban commercial layer encourages the concentration of retail, office, and service businesses in
locations that serve as hubs for neighbourhood and city-wide consumer activity. Urban commercial
streets are pillars to a city’s economic growth. They are vital to the liveability of any city because it
emphasizes the lifestyle characteristics that are defined by the patterns of activity from social to cultural
values of a population leveraged by shopping habits (Balasubramanian, Irulappan, & Kitchley, 2022).
Underground streets in modern cities connect to various buildings or infrastructures. The form of its
existence may be an independent entity or attached to
some other buildings. The following aspects of function to
improve the living environmental conditions:

1. Urban traffic function

2. Commercial supplementary performance
3. Comprehensive environmental improvement
function

Location Climatic data Geography Soil condition

City: Moderate as per Basaltic rock Shallow well

Pune, IMD formation drained,
Maharashtra Warm and clayey soil
Humid as per
Latitude: ECBC
18°52'°N

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The underground market is located near the Pune railway station, Agarkar Nagar. It was earlier used as a
link from the Bus station to the railway station, which is now obstructed by a newly constructed parking
unit. The daily footfall of the active market street is 800 people and during weekends it exceeds 1500
people.
Water level Surface activity Usage Wind/ ventilation Daylight Artificial
pattern of Daylight
UUS
The water Market Natural ventilation The daylight is All the shops
● Road
level on site is through the entered via the have
10-15 m below ● Pedestria opening. dome-shaped individual
ground level n street opening along lights along
with those from with main
the different gates COBs in the
passage

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Location Climatic data Geography Soil condition

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 City: Moderate as per Black Deccan Alluvial and
Mumbai, IMD basalt loamy
Maharashtra Warm and
Humid as per
Latitude: ECBC
19°07'°N

The underground market is located in the VT railway station. It is connecting different parts of station.
The market has wide variety of low-cost products like clothes, games, mobile accessories, toys etc.

Water level Surface activity Usage Wind/ ventilation Daylight Artificial

pattern of Daylight
UUS
The water Market No natural No natural All the shops
● Road
level on site is ventilation. VRF daylight have
8.34 m below ● Pedestria System is installed individual
ground level n street but it is not in lights along
working condition. with main
there were exhaust COBs in the
fans installed in passage
front of every
shops

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There are two underground
Location Climatic data Geography Soil condition
activities taking place, first is
the underground Market and City: Moderate as per Older alluvial Alluvial and
other is Parking. Both the Delhi IMD plain loamy
activities are used on regular Composite as
bases and is successful in terms Latitude: per ECBC
of operation. 28°04'°N

Water level Surface activity Usage Wind/ ventilation Daylight Artificial

pattern of Daylight
UUS
The water The open space Undergroun Palika bazaar is a The ceiling is Majorly the
level on site is Above parking is d market and fully air- dome shaped market and
15-20 m used as Charkha parking conditioned market with aquamarine parking
below ground museum, but there are glass that filters depend on
level Weaver’s outlets provided to sunlight and artificial
enclosure and allow the air gives a vintage source of light.
ticket counter exchange. The look to the entire COBs are
also some part is ventilators are complex. installed in the
used as open beautifully passage and
lawn designed to allow individual
Above the wind to enter shop owners
underground the UUS. have separate
market - open lights in their
Lawn, walkway shop as per
requirement.

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 Location Climatic data Geography Soil condition

City: Moderate as per Igneous rock Fertile soil

Iran IMD
Hot and dry as
Latitude: per ECBC
32°42'°N

The market is not

entirely underground,
it is designed such that
half of the street
activities are
underground and
remaining are above
ground. The street has
shops on either side

Ventilation: There are small holes that purifies the air and allow it to flow in the bazaar. As per
thermodynamics principle is the hot air rises and cold air settles down. In order to cool the bazaar, the air
is allowed to pass through a small hole thus moving from high pressure to low pressure making it cool
and giving it the ability to absorb heat.
Water level Surface activity Usage Wind/ ventilation Daylight Artificial
pattern of Daylight
UUS

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the water table Because of Undergroun the holes purify large window on Additional
is depleting at vaulted brick d market and allows the air dome roof, artificial
a very roofs no activity to flow in the holesin the lights
alarming rate is possible on the bazzar ceiling enhance the
in Iran. As per top beauty of the
2013 data, the
space and are
groundwater
table has used during
reduced more the night time
than 18m or in the
absence of
daylight.

Planning and Approaches for Urban Underground Commercial spaces:

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There are several parameters that are the outcome of the case studies and the literature study that was
carried out. The parameters are further classified into the pre-design stage, design stage and post-design
stage.

Stage Parameters
Pre-design Soil/ rock strength, Subsoil type, rock type, Rock Quality Designation, Location of site,
Geology of ground, Geological context – surface and subsurface, Morphology of ground,
Depth of construction, Typology of construction, Groundwater level, Measurement of
groundwater pressure, Future expansion consideration, Aperture size, and arrangements
Physical investigations, Design technology involved in predicting the groundwater
behavior, Landuse zoning – law should be provided, Survey technology, Technology for
underground planning, Construction technology – vertical and horizontal shaft,
Construction method for foundation and bedrock, Method of underground construction of
structure, Earthquake probabilities, Land ownership, Drainage pipeline corridor
Water supply, Electrical lines, Existing natural and mineral reserves below earth’s
surface, Existing flora, and fauna
Design Ventilation/ wind flow, Humidity, Underground temperature, surface temperature,
fenestration design, size of opening, material selection, type of UUS, radiation, size of
structure, quality of interior space, entrance design, Sense of space, Connection with the
outer world (visually or physically), Natural light, Mechanical system technique, Sewage
removal technique, Noise and vibration consideration, Means of egress, Initial cost, Land
use efficiency, Transportation network, Telecommunication network, Electrical lines,
Span limit, Right of way, Fire alarm, detection and suppression system, Emergency
preparedness, Fire department provision, No. of entry and exit, Electrical room, Drainage
water channel, Substation, Transformer/DG set location, Sewage treatment plant, Waste
water treatment , Precipitation, Consideration of rise in water level during rainfall,
Building recognition and image, Interior design elements, Universally accessible, Grade
of concrete to retain soil, Land/ site margin

Post – Ratio of cost factor with depth, Construction cost, Land cost saving, Cost of ventilation
design
and lighting, Energy cost, Technology for maintenance of ground structure, Maintenance
cost, Insurance, Repair cost, Artificial daylighting, Issue regarding further expansion after
design, Leakage in structure, Security cameras, Physiological effects, Indoor air pollution.
Indoor air pollution, Occupancy patterns, Environmental impacts on the ground

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|Conclusion

The bold insight of imagining cities in three dimensions has tenfold multiplied the
thinkers to focus upon underground urbanism specifically for commercial spaces. Vital spaces can be
freed for better use by placing uses below the surface that are not required at the surface. Commercial
spaces have valid reasons for their placement in the subsurface which indirectly gives rise to incidental
underground development. The integration of surface into subsurface development by creating a new
tissue is an immense step however creating a new urban tissue from a spatial design perspective at first
seems simple. The opportunities demonstrated by the subsurface help to create awareness. It is explained
the contribution of at least 7 SDGs set by the UN that could be targeted by 2030. Here lies the caveat to
this, a balance between the surface and subsurface needs to be planned. It is at this point we need to start
appreciating the urban complexities.

The underground commercial spaces need to be designed in such a way that they
become spaces for people, adding to the livelihood and inclusive to the city. They will provide and
promote the psychological and physical well-being of underground spaces that adds to the city fabric.
The architectural density can be increased by going underground as well, the architecture disappears and
there is room for green areas and public spaces. Daylight is the key orchestrating design tool that is
required to create a comfortable space. This might not be possible for all the situations either due to
design or the absence of sunlight (dark condition). Lighting, therefore, needs to be addressed both
regarding daylighting and artificial lighting. The design for commercial spaces should be such that it
negates any thought of being underground. The planning is dependent on geology and soil composition.
A remarkable reduction in carbon footprint can be achieved by the efficient utilization of underground
spaces. There is a need to find a glimpse into all the possibilities that our future holds. The research
enlists the parameters required for design and planning. Will India become an urban underground age
for commercial spaces in the 21st century? Let’s tap into the yet unforeseen opportunities that will allow
humankind to prosper and survive on this planet, by appreciating the world below our feet.

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| List of Abbreviations

UUS – Urban Underground Spaces

UUI – Urban Underground Infrastructure
PPP – Public Private Partnership
MPD – Master Plan Delhi
FSI – Floor Space Index
FAR – Floor Area Ratio
TOD – Transit Oriented Development
SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals
SMART - Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel
ECBC – Energy Conservation Building Code
IMD – Indian Metrological Department
COBs – Chip on Board
bgl – Below Ground Level
LCC – Life Cycle Cost
UN – United Nations

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