Mapping the urban underground

An EPFL researcher has taken a methodology designed to improve underground urban planning around the world one step further. The study, which combines geology and economics, encourages a more rational approach to underground development while safeguarding natural resources. Cities tend to sprawl outwards or expand upwards. Their underground potential is often overlooked or underestimated in master zoning plans. In fact, urban planners may only look below the surface when a subway or underground walkway is being built. This shortsightedness can have dire results, such as underground flooding, polluted drinking water and conflicting uses. Michael Doyle, a student in the Laboratory of Environmental and Urban Economics (LEURE), which is headed by Philippe Thalmann, chose this topic for his dissertation.