8th International Conference – Xi’An 1999: “Agenda and Prospect of the Underground Space for the Turn of the Century”

After the 7th International Conference “Underground space: indoor cities of tomorrow” held in Montreal in 1997, Xi’an was the host of the 8th International Conference of the ACUUS,from September 27 to 30, 1999. Xi’an is the ancient capital of China’s 13 dynasties including the Zhou, Qin Han and Tang. Xi’an is also world-famous for its city wall. The structure is an ancient castle bearing more than 600 tears of history and is one of the world most completely preserved. The Loess plateau in the northwest of China features many underground dwellings, which represent an important tourist attraction.

With the development of cities throughout this century, more and more environmental problems endanger the Earth on which human beings rely on for their subsistence. Population growth, crowded cities, traffic jams, environmental pollution, energy waste, green land erosion, and the occupation of cultivated land altogether lead to the breakdown of the natural ecological balance which in turn severely hinders the cities’ functional performance and healthy development. Then it becomes inevitable for the decision-makers, urban planners and architects to accept the mission of preserving the natural environment by further developing underground space and by creating urban landscapes that will ensure the well being of future generations.

“Agenda and Prospect of the Underground Space for the Turn of the Century” was aimed at elected representatives, heads of associations and consulting firms, promoters and contractors, professionals in the field of development, such as urban planners, architects, engineers, geologists and archaeologists, environmental, tourist and legal experts, as well as university researchers.

This Conference allowed it’s participants to review, in the end of this Century,the state of the buried industrial heritage, then within the framework of the Forum of nations, the representatives of China, Japan, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States and Canada presented the urban use of the underground space in their respective countries. Workshops were regrouped under four major subjects: The state of the subterranean heritage, The agenda of the subterranean town planning in the next century, The new challenges of the urban underground space and finally, the more technical one, The construction in underground space. The Conference of Xi’An ended with a Plenary entitled: “The Challenge of The Underground Heritage Protection in The Next Century”.

Organizing Committee of the 8th Int’l Conference

Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology

The Table of Contents of the Proceedings can be found here