According
to the United Nations prognosis in 2030 the world population shall reach 8.1
billion, with 61% of the
people living in urban areas. This poses a challenge
for metropolitan executives who must ensure proper conditions of habitation and
sustainable development for city dwellers, paralleled with compliance to the
demands of environmental protection. The present discourse aims to classify and
expound on the benefits emerging from relocation of select areas of human
activity to underground structures. The text discusses approach, in the
author’s opinion common though defective, applied to evaluating the costs of
underground structures and comparing with data for surface
constructions. It is
emphasized that a thorough economic report should not omit the maintenance
costs germane during the whole period of the underground structure’s operation
and pass over the added savings consequent to lack of land purchase / lease
costs as applicable in case of
aboveground structures. Further various types of
risks pertinent to tunneling are recapped with indication of trends anticipated
in development of underground constructions.