WTC 2004

Urban underground space conservation management

Vitali Umnov *

Moscow State Mining University, Russian Federation, Moscow

The latest decades were featured by the intensive development of underground space in large cities of the world andRussia. Underground structures of all kinds are built here and there. Partly, it has become possible due mto con-

siderable efforts of scientists and engineers aimed at the development of construction technologies and methods for the

operation of underground structures.

However, the development of urban underground space implies great responsibility. Insufficiently grounded deci-

sions in this area may result in severe and hardly manageable consequences. For instance, some faults of operating

underground and surface structures, as well as surface subsidence, caving and contamination of underground water

streams may occur in the process of construction and operation of underground structures. Underground structures

are also exposed to the effect of surface buildings and processes, which may disturb the integrity of the former. In mostcases the consequences are hardly predictable.

Sustainable development of urban areas dictates the necessity for the conservation of underground space that

implies the following: most feasible application of useful properties of the resource, keeping it for the sake of future

generations, and minimization of the risk of urban environment exposure to the effect of development processes. These

problems cannot be solved by the efforts of users only, and therefore must be tackled based on federal and municipal

management.

As it is proved by the Russian practice, a reasonable combination of administrative and economic methods is the

most efficient approach to management.The principal directions of the economic management of urban underground space conservation are as follows:

principles of the ownership, disposal and application of underground area; top priorities in the issue of permits for the

resource use; limitations and restrictions in the use; levying and allocation of charges for the resource; compensation

for the damage resulting from the loss of the resource.

Urban underground area conservation management offers the solutions for the following tasks: assessment of the

feasibility and priority of the application of particular underground holdings; identification of the directions and

methods of application; identification of the terms and conditions for the underground space leasehold (construction

of underground objects); differentiation of the rights of leaseholders’ (owners’) of the adjacent underground andsurface holdings; accounting.

Particular importance in the urban underground area conservation management is attached to charges. For the

identifications of the size of charges a special pattern of levying and allocation of charges and the attached list of

discounts and additional charges have been elaborated.

With adequate arrangements, this system promotes the development of the resource rather than restrains it anyhow.

For this purpose, a system of methods was elaborated for the assessment and decision-making, with all economic,

environmental and social considerations taken into account. It envisages the extent and forms of coordination of the

interests of different parties – participants of the process in decision-making pertaining to underground space devel-opment.

Keywords: Underground space; Conservation; Management

* Tel.: +7-95-237-6468.

E-mail address: v-umnov@yandex.ru (V. Umnov).

doi:10.1016/j.tust.2004.02.004

Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 19 (2004) 372

www.elsevier.com/locate/tust