Historical Excursion and Modern Trends of Urban Underground Development

The historical stages of mastering the underground space by humans are presented, and the significance of the geoconstructive mastering of earth is justified. The first steps of urban underground construction at the Industrial Age were related to the invention of the tunneling shield, and the shielding method of excavating tunnels in the ground. The first attempts at a system approach to planning a network of underground structures during the creation of the London metro are analyzed. The important achievements of urban underground construction within the latest half century and the trends of future developments of underground structures are discussed. Concept projects of the large-scale underground complexes are presented, planned for construction in the world’s metropolises as peculiar “underground cities”. The authors’ concept of sustainable development of large cities as a synthesis of surface and underground urban development is presented. The most urgent tasks for legislative, legal, educational, and scientific management spheres are justified by the goal of intensification of the underground space mastering in accordance with the demands of the modern large cities.