ITA has been recognized by the United Nations as a non-governmental organization (NGO) since 1987. Several initiatives have been conducted with and for United Nations including workshops on the Gibraltar tunnel and proposals to reduce poverty in rural areas. On December 14, 2007, ITA conducted a special joint UN-ITA workshop on sustainable development. The title of the workshop was “The Use of Underground Space as an Unexpected Solution for Promoting Sustainable Development.” The three hour workshop was specifically designed for UN delegates and decision-makers with special emphasis on developing countries. The workshop was held in the impressive main ECOSOC conference room in the well-known United Nations Secretariat building. The workshop was chaired by His Excellency Mr. Lebohang Fine Maema, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN for the Republic of  Lesotho. He presented his opening remarks. The Moderator was Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination. The workshop was organized by Mr. Sergei Kambalov, Chief, ECOSOC and Interorganizational Cooperation Branch. ITA’s organization was directed by Dr. Harvey Parker, Past President of ITA. He was assisted by Professor Han Admiraal and Professor Ray Sterling, Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the new ITA Committee on Underground Space (ITACUS). Considerable local and organizational assistance was provided by Dr. Aliye Celik, Adviser to ITA. Presentations were made to the audience by the following ITA speakers in the order of their appearance. Questions and answers followed each presentation and general questions were answered at the close of the workshop. Professor Ray Sterling, Director of Trenchless Technology, Ruston, Louisiana
Professor Han Admiraal, Director of Centre for Underground Construction (COB), Netherlands
Ms. Shani Wallis, Journalist specializing in underground space
Mr. David Bennett, FAIA, Architect specializing in underground space
Professor Tetsuya Hanamura, Okayama University, Underground space specialist
Professor Xiaodong Shi, Senior Planner of Beijing Urban Plan and Design Institute
Dr. Harvey Parker, Past President, ITA Professor Ray Sterling presented an overview of the benefits of using underground space and related the importance of the use of underground space to 1) current global problems, 2) who owns underground space, and 3) the urgent need to consider the use of underground space now. He outlined the special characteristics of underground space and stated that it will be impossible in major cities to provide all the necessary infrastructure at the ground surface. He provided an overview of how laws about who owns underground space varies from country to country. Some countries permit private ownership of underground space while others limit private ownership. He then presented many reasons and examples for using underground space. These included 1) protection of the environment, 2) energy conservation, 3) energy production and storage, 4) low-impact habitation and food storage, 5) the use of underground space for protection from natural and man-made hazards, and 6) promotion of sustainable development. Professor Han Admiraal emphasized the importance of decision makers becoming aware of the benefits and potential of underground space to maintain or improve spatial quality and livability as well as preserving natural beauty and cultural heritage. He presented a case history of how a region in Southeast Asia encountered difficulties and lost opportunities because planners were not aware of underground space and he described the benefits they received after they increased their awareness of underground space. He identified the resources and functions associated with underground space. He described the need for vision regarding the use of underground space for transport of people and goods, production, urban structure, storage, and archive uses and pointed out that the earlier underground space is considered the greater the benefits received and the more affordable it is. He pointed out that many Western megacities are now paying a price for not planning the underground and showed that society needs underground space planning because it permits balancing resources and functions to allow a sustainable development. Professor Admiraal concluded that society can not afford to not consider underground space but that proper advance planning is essential. Mr. David Bennett compared and evaluated the “fabric” of current megacities and then presented a way planners of cities can obtain the best use of underground space as their cities develop into megacities. He characterized the major components of the industrialized cities of the 20th century and how they evolved in the last 200 years. He then showed how current city concepts are becoming obsolete for a world of 6 Billion people. He described a step-by-step incremental process to achieve a 21st century post-industrial sustainable layered city in which spaces for underground functions are planned and preserved for future development. Such careful planning allows cities to develop rationally and without adverse restraints. Planning is essential, it can be done now, it is not costly, and it significantly reduces development costs in the future. Cities taking advantage of underground space can be more compact, more resource and energy efficient and also more secure even while providing more open space. Ms. Shani Wallis presented a unique case history of the creative use of underground space to provide drainage of excess subsurface water in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan while also providing conduits for freshwater, electrical power, and other services in the same 30-km-long “utilidor” tunnel. She also presented the innovative SMART tunnel, a combined highway and flood control tunnel in Kuala Lumpur. It is a double deck highway tunnel throughout most of the year and during most rain storms. However, when major rain storms occur and serious flooding is imminent, traffic is removed from the tunnel and the entire tunnel is converted to a flood control tunnel. Ms. Wallis then presented an in-depth case history of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project where 85 km of tunnels transfers fresh water from Lesotho to the megacity Johannesburg. The case history dramatically illustrated that the proper use of underground space in developing countries provided great benefits to the citizens of both Johannesburg and Lesotho. Professor Tetsuya Hanamura described the problems of megacities in developing countries and how their sustainability can be improved by the use of underground space for such functions as subways, water supply, sewerage storage and control, and flood control. He gave several examples on how underground space is used in Japan to greatly improve the environment and to ensure sustainable development. These included bicycle-park-and-ride schemes, multi-modal transportation stations that handle up to 2 million passengers per day, underground ring roads that reduce traffic congestion, stormwater reservoirs & storage tunnels. He showed how sewerage systems can be adapted by intelligent use of underground space as a region develops from abrural area to a megacity. A case history illustrated how an urban diversion tunnel dramatically reduced damage and flooding of homes during typhoons. He described why underground space generally behaves very well in earthquakes and gave examples of the superior behavior of tunnels in earthquakes. Underground space was shown to help improve traffic, air and water pollution, land value, energy saving, and disaster prevention. Professor Shi summarized China’s environmental goals and described how the abundant and increasing use of underground space contributes to sustainable development in both north and south China. He gave many examples of rapid development of the use of underground space in China and described the planning and management of underground space including regulations and rapid development of megacities. He described underground complexes in large cities that are characterized by their amazing number, large scale, and high standards including urban expressways but also major transit systems having hundreds of km of tunnels that promote “thinking beyond the automobile.” He described the development of several “underground cities” with millions of square meters of underground space. He described how underground space is contributing to medium and long-term renewable energy development resulting from high efficiency and energy saving characteristics and increased geothermal technology utilization. Professor Shi’s co-author was Professor Qian Qihu. Following these presentations by the panelists, a general question and answer session was conducted by the moderator, Mr. Nikhil Seth. A large variety of questions were posed by the audience. They included questions on the Boston Big Dig, legal regulations and who owns underground space, the cost of underground facilities, the risks for emerging countries, environmental protection, security, health, lessons learned, maintenance costs, technology transfer, the availability of financing and how to make best use of underground practical and feasible and affordable by society in the current time frame. Following the question and answer session, Dr. Harvey Parker described ITA and its long history of cooperation with the United Nations. These included a previous workshop on developing countries, several workshops on the Gibraltar Tunnel, and several keynote speeches delivered to annual ITA World Tunnel Congresses by United Nations staff. Dr. Parker also described the new ITA Committee on Underground Space (ITACUS) and invited the audience to consider joining ITACUS. Finally, Dr. Parker gave a summary of the findings of the panelists at this workshop. He emphasized the multiple use of the same parcel of land putting essential services underground leaving the surface for more noble purposes and he highlighted energy conservation and other energy benefits in the fight against global warming. These unexpected solutions in the promotion of sustainable development are, of course, in addition to the traditional solutions but they are important as additional tools for promoting sustainable development and in the fight against global warming. Early advance planning is essential. Following the workshop, a luncheon was hosted by ITA where the issues regarding underground space use and its importance to sustainable development were discussed informally further, and in more detail, with the delegates and guests. Some conclusions from this workshop are given below: 1) Society is not sustainable without infrastructure. Efforts to achieve sustainability must include action to provide all types of infrastructure including on the ground surface and underground. 2) It is impossible in major cities to provide all the necessary infrastructure at the ground surface. Often the best infrastructure is provided by tunnels and underground space. 3) Underground space use offers benefits for all society, ranging from rural to megacities, for many aspects of quality of life, resource conservation, infrastructure expansion, and disaster prevention. 4) Tunnels bring clean water in and take wastewater out to promote health and sustainability worldwide, which will be particularly important in developing countries and megacities (United Nations Millennium Development Goal, MDG 6). 5) Underground space use is generally energy efficient and conserves energy, thus promoting sustainable development and it is an ally in the fight against global warming (MDG 7). Underground temperatures are constant and not harsh, thus requiring the use of less insulation and less energy (MDG 7). 6) Underground space is also important in rural areas, particularly in countries with harsh climates, for storage of foods and goods at a constant temperature. 7) There are great benefits to society by the use of tunnels, microtunnels, and underground space for public use and bulk storage of water, fuel, and other goods in mega cities which allows for more efficient use of the ground surface (MDG 7). 8) Underground space provides safe havens during natural and man-made hazards including from earthquakes. Underground structures are subject to less stress and run a much lower risk of damage in earthquakes, in wind storms, and from violence (MDG 7). 9) Durability and long life of underground spaces can result in reasonable life-cycle costs as they exceed the life-span of most types of infrastructure (MDG 7). Tunnels and underground space are investments, not costs. The indirect benefits are also enormous; Sao Paulo estimates the overall aggregate savings to society, just from their underground metro, to be over $1B USD per year. 10) Use of underground space allows multiple use of land as well as preservation of natural beauty & archeology (including World Heritage Sites) by proper planning of underground space, transfer of technologies, and training (MDG 7 & MDG 8). Use of land on several layers increases land use and provides more usable space. So, many countries, especially Japan and China, not only have strongly embraced the use of underground space but are quickly constructing much underground space for the benefit of their citizens. 11) It is urgent to become aware of the benefits of underground space and to plan the underground space use of your region or city or else the enormous potential sustainable development benefits of underground space will be lost. In fact, there are significant differences among countries in the legal aspects of who owns underground space, private or public interests. Many Western megacities are now paying the price for not properly planning and managing the use of underground space. Consequently, society can not afford not to consider the use of underground space. 12) The use of underground space can be beneficial in a world struggling to cope with the effects of climate change and sustainable development. | 
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