SUB Sustainable use of underground space

Research Project, 2016 – 2021

The underground space is a resource which can offer different types of functions and services, e.g. abstraction of groundwater for multiple purposes, storage of e.g. heat or cold, underground constructions and foundation of buildings. The Swedish Planning and Building Act is guiding the planning process on the land surface, but offers little support with regard to the subsurface. The overall aim of the project is to identify opportunities of increasing the use of subsurface engineering information early in the urban and infrastructure planning phases in order to: 1) improve the possibilities of identifying cost-effective and sustainable solutions with regard to subsurface conditions, 2) sort out the rights for underground developments and 3D properties and 3) make recommendations for future policies and instruments of planning for sustainable use of underground space in Sweden. The specific objectives of the proposed project are: (i) to investigate the opportunities for better integration of subsurface conditions into the Swedish planning process; and (ii) to provide a framework for municipalities for sustainable subsurface planning and management.

Keywords: Subsurface planning, urban underground space, subsurface conditions, sustainability, decision support

The project is carried out at the division of geology and geotechnics, research group Environmental geology – land and water resources, department of architecture and civil engineering.