The underground city: between heritage, contemporary uses and future possibilities:

“The underground city has many dimensions, both from our representations and from the various spatial practices of different eras. Depending on the different social and political contexts, underground urban constructions have had a function of refuge (the catacombs for example), protection, storage, etc. Today, if some of these uses have disappeared, others have been renewed and recomposed. Today, underground urban spaces have a functional use, allowing the city “above” to function better (sewers, car parks, etc.). However, they remain associated with marginal, “underground” spaces, even if the recent rise in the practice of urbex is leading to a rediscovery of their richness. The recent debates around climate change and questions of the “right to the city” are reexamining these spaces. Would it be possible and/or desirable to build a city entirely underground? If so, what issues would this raise? “