SubCity - future imaginaries of the city subsurface

Description

An increasing rate of urbanisation, coupled with the effects of climate change and the need for a transition to low carbon emissions, will put considerable pressure on the increasingly overburdened metropolitan areas. To meet these challenges, society must significantly and radically improve its utilisation of the subsurface beneath urban landscapes.

The underground is a place that, once transformed, becomes a permanent part of the future. For this reason, the planning of underground spaces requires a strategically driven, holistic, and long-term vision. By using Stockholm municipality as our analytical point of departure, the overall purpose of this project is twofold:

1. to develop conceptual tools and empirical insights for better understanding the socio-technical dynamics of sustainable underground urban planning and use;
2. to provide practical solutions and guidance for long-term planning and envisioning sustainable utilisation of underground spaces.

The project will be guided by two interconnected objectives:

1. to investigate what is currently happening in the city’s subsurface and to identify challenges and opportunities concerning the future transition of the urban underground space;
2. to anticipate future visions for the city’s underground in terms of transportation, storage, energy, and public uses.

The project is conducted in an interdisciplinary environment involving two research units – Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (NRHU) and Geophysics – at the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University.