The development of underground space as a way to optimize urban territory: a case study of the city of Kazan, Russia

Unlimited perimeter sprawl of a city at a certain stage leads to the emergence of social, economic, and environmental problems, which negatively affect the quality of the urban environment. Such a way of extensive urban development can be prevented by turning to the “compact city” concept, based on the most efficient use of internal territorial resources. One of the approaches to optimize processes in the city and stop its territorial extension is the development of urban underground space. This work examines the development of the underground space of the city of Kazan (European Russia), represented by transport infrastructure, as a way to optimize urban areas. The use of current data on the quantity and spatial characteristics of Kazan’s underground transport infrastructure made it possible to assess the scale of development of underground space. At the time of this study, there were 344 underground transport infrastructure objects in the city (underground car parks under residential buildings and social facilities, as well as pedestrian crossings, metro stations, and tunnels). The largest number of underground transport structures is located in the city center, in the Vakhitovsky district (47% of all city facilities). Then the districts adjacent to the city center follow: Privolzhsky, Kirovsky, and partly Sovetsky; they account for 15, 14 and 9% of the city’s underground transport facilities, respectively. The industrial specialization of the Aviastroitel’ny and Moskovsky districts of the city and the complex hydro-geological conditions of the Novo-Savinovsky district determined the smallest number of underground infrastructure facilities on their territory. Rational use of underground space is possible only if there is a regulatory framework related for urban planning that reflects the aspects of underground urbanism. The development of underground space according to a single urban development plan, linked to the General Plan of the city, will contribute to its comprehensive development and use.

city, territorial resources, underground transport infrastructure, urban underground space, urbanization