8th Conference – Xi’An – 1999

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

7th Conference – Montreal – 1997

7th International Conference – Montréal 1997: “Underground Space: Indoor Cities of Tomorrow”

Following the 6th conference held in Paris, in 1995, the City of Montréal had hosted the 7th meeting under the auspices of ACUUS, the international organisation that will co-ordinate all subsequent conferences in the series.This conference, “Underground Space: Indoor Cities of Tomorrow”, had focused on possible future partnerships and the interdisciplinary that must exist to create what are often colossal underground projects. Partnerships and interdisciplinary work are closely linked to the multiple facets involved in the construction of any underground project. They include: analysis, planning, financing, regulation, construction, technology, management, administration, promotion, marketing, maintenance, security, signage and even activity-planning. Four major themes were reviewed over the three main days of the conference: Partnership, Interdisciplinarity, Indoor Cities, and Technological Innovations.

 

Partnership workshops had examined urban planning teamwork and responsibility sharing between public- and private sector decision-makers involved in the underground development of our cities. Discussion had also focused on partnerships regarding all aspects of underground security, notably user safety, fire/crime prevention and response, communications, building security and underground construction codes. In addition, these working groups had addressed partnerships formed to build underground projects, rehabilitate infrastructures as well as develop signage and user communications.

The workshops on interdisciplinarity had explored progress made by underground experts, particularly studies on user behavior and perception of subterranean space. They had also looked at underground urban planning, the architecture and design of indoor spaces and the placement of interior passages. Legal and fiscal analysis, financial issues as well as economic and feasibility studies have been discussed.Indoor cities workshops had used case studies of existing projects in certain urban centers, such as subways, subterranean stations and pedestrian malls to analyze their impact on underground mobility, transportation, commercial activity and shopping malls as well as on the city as a whole and its citizens.The working sessions had bearings on specific technological innovations affecting underground construction as well as three-dimensional models of excavations and databases. Participants had discussed excavated structures, mastering of geological constraints, equipment, tunnels and new techniques in rebuilding infrastructures and public utilities.

The 7th ACUUS International Conference “Underground Space : Indoor Cities of Tomorrow” has been organized by the City of Montréal, in collaboration with the University of Montréal and under the auspices of the International Tunneling Association (AITES / ITA) which was the sponsor of the event. The Conference was also under the high patronage of UNESCO.

Jacques BESNER, President of the Organizing Committee

Organizing Committee of the 7th Int’l Conference
City of Montreal

A CD-ROM, ISBN: 2-89417-725-9, is available at the Secretariat of ACUUS at the price of 100 $ Can tx incl. (postage not included)

 

The Table of Contents of the Proceedings can be found here

6th Conference – Paris – 1995

6th International Conference – Paris 1995 : “Underground Space and Urban Planning”

The 6th International Conference on ”Underground Space and Urban Planning” (EUS 95) held in Paris, Centre des Congrès de La Villette, from September 26 to 29 1995, symbolizes the renewal of a French tradition represented by the works of the “Groupe d’Etude du Centre Urbain Souterrain” (GECUS) founded in Paris in 1933. Its 6th International Congress was cancelled in 1975 because of the death of Edouard Utudjian, its leader.Uses of the underground are extremely various and variable according to continents, climates and cultures. But cities seem to be the place where they represent the greatest stakes, a controversial topic, a great specificity and major complexities. That is why the organizers of the Paris Conference have chosen to dedicate their Conference to Underground Space and Urban Planning.

More than 100 papers from nearly 20 countries (Canada, China, Finland, France, Hong-Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, United-Kingdom and USA) are presented in this document.Each workshop tries to connect technical approaches with humanistic ones in several fields which are of major interest for our cities: safety, ambiances, networks and transportation, architecture and planning, spatial and technical interfaces, patrimonia, investigation and surveying, city planning. All of them show a need for research and international comparison. All of them also point the fact that the study of underground space questions the roles and methods of planners and architects.That does not mean that we want the promotion of universal and systematic use of underground. The Paris Conference had many objectives: to raise the problems of the saturation of the cities, of the preservation of their patrimonia, of the need for urbanity and quality of their facilities. Therefore, the third dimension — i.e. depth — must be taken into account if only because it plays already a major role in the city.

Sabine BARLES (ed.)

Organizing Committee of the 6th Int’l Conference

Laboratoire Théorie des Mutations Urbaines URA CNRS 1244
4 rue Alfred Nobel – Cité Descartes – 77420 Champs-sur-Marne, France

 

The Table of Contents of the Proceedings can be found here