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An underground city (also underground mall, underground passageway, depending on size, shape, etc) is a network of tunnels that connect buildings beneath street level. These may include office blocks, shopping malls, train and metro stations, theatres, and other attractions. An underground city can usually be accessed through the public space of any of the buildings connecting to it, and sometimes has separate entries as well.

Underground cities are especially important in cities with cold climates, as they permit the downtown core to be comfortably accessible year round without regard to the weather.

Underground cities are similar in nature to skyway systems and may include some buildings linked by skyways or above-ground corridors rather than underground.

Possibly the most famous underground cities are Montrealmarker's RÉSO, used by more people than any other locale and is the largest underground city network in the world, and Torontomarker's PATH, which according to Guinness World Records is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with 371,600 square metres of retail space. Japan's underground networks, while individually smaller, are the most extensive overall with an estimated 76 underground shopping streets totalling over 900,000 square metres of floor space in 1996, with many expansions since then.Countries with underground cities include:

Argentina



Australia

  • Sydneymarker has a series of underground shopping malls around one of the city's underground stations Town Hallmarker. The tunnels run south to the George Street cinema district, west under the town hall, and north to Pitt Street Mallmarker through the Queen Victoria Buildingmarker. The northern branch links Queen Victoria Building with Galleries Victoria, Sydney Central Plaza (which in turn links internally above ground to Westfield Centrepoint, Imperial Arcade, Skygarden, Glasshouse, and the MLC Centre). The linked centres run for over 3 km. In 2005 Westfield corporation submitted a development application to link Sydney Central Plaza underground with 3 other properties on Pitt Street Mall and extend the tunnel network by a further 500m.


Canada

  • Edmontonmarker has a small system of tunnels and above-ground skyways called the Pedway connecting buildings and LRT stations of the downtown core.
  • Halifaxmarker (Downtown Halifax Linkmarker) where no point is more than 10 minutes casual walking distance from any other one.
  • Montrealmarker Underground city, or la ville souterraine in French, is the largest underground network in the world. Its 32 km of tunnel cover more than 41 city blocks (about 12 km²). Access through the RÉSO can be made to apartment buildings, hotels, offices, banks, and universities, as well as public spaces like retail shops and malls, concert halls, cinemas, the Bell Centremarker hockey arena, museums, seven metro stations, two train stations (Lucien-L'Alliermarker and Gare Centralemarker), a bus terminal (Réseau de transport de Longueuil and other transit authorities), and other areas. It connects 80% of office space and 35% of commercial space in downtown Montreal.
    • The network began as a connection between Place Ville Marie, the Queen Elizabeth Hotelmarker and the Gare Centralemarker.
    • More than 2,000 shops and 40 cinemas line the passageways. Tourists often visit various attractions in the underground city, which is used by an average of half a million Montrealers per day.
    • Eight metro stations link to smaller networks that are not yet part of the central network, such as Berri UQAMmarker in the eastern part of downtown, and Pie-IXmarker which links venues from the 1976 Summer Olympics. Additionally, other underground networks exist that are not part of the metro system, such as the La Cité housing and retail complex.
  • St. John's, Newfoundland and Labradormarker - At the main campus of Memorial University of Newfoundlandmarker are the MUNnels, a tunnel system, in which all the main buildings are connected, though there are also some elevated walkways.
  • Moose Jaw, Saskatchewanmarker - A tourist attraction which plays on the role of Al Capone in that city and the Chinese immigrants.
  • Torontomarker (PATH), comprises 27 km of walkways and 1,200 shops. It links many important buildings and attractions downtown to six TTC subway stations. PATH accommodates 100,000 pedestrians daily, and PATH businesses host the world's largest underground sidewalk sale once annually.
    • The PATH network in Toronto is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with .
    • Toronto also has a separate, smaller "underground city" connecting several building complexes and two subway stations on Bloor Street.
  • Vancouvermarker has two shopping malls, Pacific Centre and Vancouver Centre, that are interconnected and extend over 3 city blocks, containing more than 200 stores that weaves above and below ground level. These malls are also connected to Granville SkyTrain Stationmarker and Vancouver City Centre Stationmarker on the Canada Line.
  • Winnipegmarker has a smaller (mainly commercial office) area located underground in the downtown core below Portage and Main. Several of the downtown office towers have subterranean entrances to the complex allowing employees and visitors to bypass the downtown traffic and avoid the cold winter temperatures Winnipeg regularly experiences. The system links with the skyway system known as the Winnipeg Walkway. Also the University of Manitobamarker has underground tunnels for the students to travel building to building.


Chile

  • Santiagomarker has an extensive amount of underground city in its "Metro" subway system. All stations have a typical mezzanine level, but the Metro has this level full of shops and kiosks of all kinds, most stations have an additional mall-like level between the street and the mezzanine levels with the trains running at the 3 level down.


China

  • Beijing built an extensive tunnel network called the Underground Citymarker ( ) during the Sino-Soviet conflict, supposedly covering 85 km², falling into disuse in the 1970s. Now recently opened to the public and tourists. There are rumors saying it was used by the army during the Tiananmen incident. A tourist report describes the facility. As of 1st July 2009, all "official" remaining entrances appear to be closed.
  • Shanghai also has a few underground networks, most notably at the People's Square metro station, wherein the line 2 station has a second mezzanine full of shops and line 1 is connected to a large underground shopping gallery at its south end. Shanghai Science Museum stop on line 2 also has a large underground shopping area, known for its imitation goods. Huangpi Road South and Xujiahui stations are also directly connected to shopping centers, and the Lujiazui station is connected to the Bank of China tower.
  • Qingdaomarker has two small underground shopping areas, one at the head of the Zhanqiao (pier) and one west of the Qingdao guest house.


Finland



France

  • Parismarker The Forum des Halles, is a partially underground multiple story commercial and shopping center, opened in 1979. The building is connected to the underground station Chatelet-Les-Halles, central hub of Paris's express metro system, the RER. There was also more than 300 km of a network of catacombsmarker, started as limestone quarries and later for burials, also used as safe passageways in times of revolution.


Germany

  • Frankfurt am Mainmarker Underground shopping malls, called 'B-Ebene' in Frankfurt, of considerable size are found at Hauptbahnhof (central station) and Hauptwache.
  • Hamburgmarker The Jungfernstiegmarker and Rathaus subway stations and several entrances are connected by pedestrian tunnels. Some of them contain shops. There is also a direct access to the Europapassage shopping mall.
  • Stuttgartmarker There is a large underground shopping mall (Klettpassage) connecting the Hauptbahnhof (central station) with the main shopping street, the Königstraße.
  • Berlinmarker Several buildings on the east side of Friedrichstraße, from Quartier 205 (Friedrichstraße 70) northwards up to Galerie Lafayette are connected to each other. Businesses are on both sides of that underground street so that it appears to be inside a building all the time, even when it crosses Taubenstraße underground. There are also various underground remnants of the planned city of Germania dating from the 1930s, including an extensive U-Bahn station.


Greece

  • Athensmarker Athens has a small underground network, in Omonia square subway station there are some small newspapers kiosks, Syntagma, Evaggelismos and Akropolis stations antiquities are displays with the subway stations operating as open museums.

Hong Kong



Iran

  • Kishmarker - An underground city by the name of Hidden Pearl was constructed which consists of roads interlinked 20 meters under the ground. Shops and restaurants are planned to be built.


Italy



Japan

The top five largest underground "cities" (地下街, chikagai) in Japan are all shopping districts:



  • Osaka has enormous underground networks in the Umeda, Namba, and Shinsaibashimarker districts, in which Umeda alone includes over 1,200 retail stores and restaurants, subway and intercity rail stations.


  • Tokyomarker's subway lines are owned by Eidan (9 lines) and Toei (4 lines), mostly within the 23 special wards. Near the center of the city, connecting passages between stations that span a few blocks exist for commuters. Stations such as Shinjukumarker and Shibuyamarker have underground shopping malls. Tokyo's network of tunnels is seen as one of the many megalopolis features of the city.


Mexico

  • Guanajuatomarker: the city was built over old silver mines, some of which are used as roads. the Mexico DFmarker metro system has many underground pedestrian walkways interconnecting stations.


Pakistan

Pakistan's largest cities of Karachi and Lahore are megapolis and have proposed for a future construction for underground metro systems.

Russia

  • Moscow: "Okhotnyi Ryad" (Охотный Ряд) four-level underground shopping mall — 29,000 m², linked to Metro station of same name.
  • Moscow Metro 2 a purported secret underground metro system in Moscowmarker built supposedly during (or from) the time of Stalin.


Singapore

  • Extensive underground networks exist around most major stations of the Mass Rapid Transit, such as the one at the Raffles Place MRT Stationmarker with direct underground connections to 19 buildings in the busy Raffles Place area. Expanding the network further, is the first phase of a new subterranean network linking the station to the up-coming One Raffles Quaymarker development and with provisions to extend it into the Marina Baymarker new downtown extension for a complex underground pedestrian nework across the entire downtown area.




  • The Orchard Roadmarker shopping belt is connected by underground linkways often with commercial space, particularly around the three MRT stations serving the district, namely Orchardmarker [38716], Somersetmarker [38717], and Dhoby Ghautmarker [38718]. Plans are in place to link all buildings along the road into a continuous underground network on both sides of the over four kilometre long road.


Spain

  • In Barcelonamarker: There's an abandoned underground mall near Plaça de Catalunyamarker called Avinguda de la Llum, closed since 1990, which had originally been part of a more ambitious project to build an underground city underneath the centre of Barcelona. Also, some Metro stations or connecting lines in the same station are connected by underground passages over a block in length.
  • In Madridmarker
  • In Bilbaomarker , Valenciamarker, Sevillamarker and Palma de Mallorcamarker
  • Legend has that the many caves and tunnels under the old part of Toledomarker were connected and were used by occultists.


Switzerland



Taiwan

  • Taipeimarker - underground streets connecting two or more metro stations. In addition, there is a large underground shopping mall near the main train station.


Thailand

The Bangkok Metro in Thailand is steadily expanding its network of underground MRT malls between far flung exits. Unlike most cities, they mainly serve to escape the heat and as street crossings.

Turkey

  • Cappadociamarker contains several historical underground cities carved out of unusual geological formations formed via the eruptions of ancient volcanoes. The cities were initially inhabited by the Hittites, then later by early Christians as hiding places (see [38719]). They are now archeological and tourist sites, but are not generally occupied (see Kaymaklı Underground Citymarker and Derinkuyumarker). The latest large underground city was discovered in 2007 in Gaziemir, Güzelyurt. This city was a stopover on the Silk Road, allowing travelers and their camels to rest in safety underground, in a 'fortress' equivalent to a modern hotel.


Ukraine

  • Kiyvmarker - An underground concourse extends underneath Khreschatyk Street from Maidan Nezalezhnostimarker to Ploscha L'va Tolstoho. The concourse connects to the Kyiv Metro and to the Globe shopping mall beneath Maidan Nezalezhnosti.


United Kingdom

  • In London's redeveloped docklands Canary Wharf tube stationmarker, adjacent office towers and shopping malls are connected underground. It is also possible to access two stations of the Docklands Light Railway without going outside.
  • Dover contains a series of interconnecting tunnels, that honeycomb both sides of the Dover Valley, carved into the chalk cliffs. These date from Ancient times at Dover Castlemarker through to Napoleonic, Second and Cold War installations. The Dover Castle complex is the larger, going at least six levels deep and includes a hospital, troops quarters, offices and storage and channel view points. The southern tunnels are mixed between Napoleonic War-era defences (see Dover Western Heightsmarker ) and Second World War-era defences, with some seafront air raid shelters still used for shop storage today. Many have fallen into disrepair and are now closed to the public, but many are still open : See this or this.
  • There are extensive rooms, tunnels and chambers beneath some areas of Edinburghmarker's old Town.
  • Nevill Street, in Southport, Merseyside, has the remainders of an underground shopping street, which can now only be accessed from the cellars of buildings on the current street, which was raised by one storey from the original level. One end of the underground street ended at the Marine Lake, close to the pier entrance. [38720]
  • The Williamson's tunnelsmarker in Liverpool, Merseyside, included the site of an 'underground house' complete with windows (concealed by work for public opening) and an extant and partially excavated 'banqueting hall'.


United States

  • Albany, New Yorkmarker - Empire State Plazamarker in Albany, New York features an underground city which contains banks, a YMCA, restaurants, several food courts, retailers, a police station, a bus station, and a visitor's Center. The Plaza connects several government buildings to the Egg (a state-owned theater), the New York State Museum, The New York State Library, The Corning Tower (the tallest building between New York City and Toronto), Legislative office, Judicial offices, and the Times Union Centermarker.


  • Atlanta, Georgiamarker - Atlanta's “Underground” actually represents the original surface level of downtown Atlanta; the present streets are in fact raised roadways (viaducts) built in the 1920s. The shopping center Underground Atlantamarker, taking advantage of the former street-level storefronts, covers six city blocks, and includes retail shopping and restaurants. It was begun in 1968, and re-opened in 1989 after a financially-forced closure. Underground Atlanta homepage








  • Walt Disney Worldmarker, Floridamarker (South-West of Orlando, Florida) has a network of tunnels utilized by its employees (Cast Members) for transportation between venues, rest, staff preparation, and first aid. Some of the rest facilities resemble a small hotel room complete with a small kitchen.


  • Duluth, Minnesotamarker has a small network of skyways and tunnels connecting some buildings, including the Federal Courthouse and Convention Center (DECC).




  • Houston, Texasmarker - The seven-mile Houston tunnel system is set about twenty feet below Houston's downtown street system, and is composed of a series of underground passageways which, with above-ground skywalks, link office towers to hotels, banks, corporate and government offices, restaurants, retail stores, and the Theater District. Only one building, Wells Fargo Plazamarker, offers direct access from the street to the Tunnel; otherwise, you must enter the Tunnel from street-level stairs, escalators, or elevators located inside a building connected to the Tunnel.




  • Minneapolismarker and Saint Paul, Minnesotamarker - There are three major systems consisting mostly of above-ground skyways in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis's skyway system covers approximately five miles with 62 skyways. St. Paul's skyway system connects buildings in a 30-block radius in the downtown core. [38721] On the University of Minnesotamarker campus, the Gopher Way connects most buildings and parking structures together using a number of skyway links and underground tunnels.


  • New York, New Yorkmarker - Several subway stations have direct access to one or more buildings. Additionally, most of the lower floor of Rockefeller Centermarker qualifies as an underground city, as it features connections to subways, an extensive underground concourse, building connections, and several restaurants, all below ground.


  • Oklahoma City, Oklahomamarker - The Oklahoma City Underground, formerly the Oklahoma City Conncourse, named after its founder, Jack Conn, is an underground tunnel system connecting nearly all the downtown buildings in a 20-square-block area. The OKC Underground is one of the most extensive all-enclosed pedestrian systems in the country, extending three-quarters of a mile and connecting over 30 downtown buildings by tunnel or skyway. The original tunnel link was built in 1931 and the system was extended in the 1970s. Offices, shops, and restaurants line the OKC Underground system. It underwent a $2 million renovation in 2006-2007. Upon completion of the renovation, the Conncourse was renamed the Underground.




  • Richmond, Virginiamarker - There are a series of connected tunnels between state government buildings in the city of Richmond. Certain passageways are locked off but a good portion of the tunnels are accessible from different buildings. The purpose of the tunnels is not generally known; the two most common explanations are that they were built to allow people to move between buildings in inclement weather or that they were built as part of an emergency evacuation plan.


  • Rochester, Minnesotamarker - The Mayo Clinicmarker's various buildings in the downtown area are interconnected with tunnels and skyways. Various other businesses also exist along the corridors, including a number of hotels that often house clinic patients. It is often called a subway, although there are no underground rails in the city.




  • Seattlemarker, Washingtonmarker - Several modern undergrounds and a historical tour exist. The main shopping district around Westlake has an underground connected with the bus tunnel. Another substantial corridor extends from Two Union Squaremarker to Rainier Squaremarker with connections to hotels, the 5th Avenue Theatre, and many retail shops along the way. The Seattle Underground Tour in Pioneer Square takes visitors on a humorous guided walk showing the original ground level of many buildings in that area.




See also





References

  1. [1]



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