What do you think of the novel idea to build cities underground if it could be made a pleasant place to live?

Question

the advantages are numerous; security(no windows to break into), efficiency(much easier to maintain a constant temperature), quieter(no outside noise). Modern technology can make it comfortable even for claustrophobics.
I saw a TV ad where a guy got off his couch directly to a treadmill that had projector screens on both sides with an outside view moving by as fast as he was running.

Making walls(and ceilings) project anything you want(even windows with a view of your choice), in awesome HD quality (important note:viewable from any angle like a TV does) is already technically feasible. Pumping outside air and sunlight inside is easy. Securing your home is as easy as locking the front door and garage door. Your yard will be directly above you.

Businesses too, like Warehouses, some factories, offices, can be made totally underground too.

Answer 1

I think it's a cool idea. A bit like Coober Pedy in Australia. A mining town where it is so hot that they build underground.

Answer 2

Your last comment "so none of you think humanity is worth saving?" Have you taken a look around lately? We've got people on TV lying about each other so they can have a turn lying to the rest of the world for four years. The worlds economies have tanked. We're cutting down the rain forests to grow more food so more people can starve. We start wars every tens years or so and spend obscene amounts of money that, if it weren't for the wars the money wouldn't go to where it was needed, schools, health insurance, jobs. The US came up with the first nukes and now we and a select few nations, are telling other nations "You can have those so we're not going to play with you anymore but we'll buy lead painted toys and dog food laced with poison from you. And you want to build cities underground. Tell you what, I'll buy you a shovel.

Answer 3

Ahh... well, sorry to break it to you, but... have you ever heard of pneumatic tubes? You know, those things before ATMs, where you would drive up, put your request for money in along with your account, send it back, and the tube would come back with money? Well, I always thought those things were the cats pajamas. Unfortunately, they are all but dead, except in some places in Europe. Why? Not economically feasible. I, for instance, have lived in California. Uhh... the worst place to be is underground during an earthquake! Beyond that, the costs of excavation, of making the artificial light- we are already using huge amounts of resources compared to other countries. Not only would this spike our energy usage, but all other costs in general would rise, too. Think about it: why do the treadmill underground? Why not just get a dark room with no windows? Besides, flat panel TVs are expensive. Why spend 10s of thousands to flat panel your home- do most people have that kind of disposable income?

Answer 4

The concept is not novel, and is fraught with difficulties. How do you remove waste?
How do you get food and water to people?
How do you maintain a breathable atmosphere?
How do you protect against cave-ins, either from earthquake or natural deterioration of the roofing and walls?
How do you generate the vast amount of electricity needed to power such an installation?

Answer 5

An interesting idea.
I see no faults to an in-land-home.
You could use pre-fab walls like plastic pools, just bigger sections.
Drainage would be a problem, but it could be easily contained.
It definitely would be cooler.
You could park on your ceiling.
There has to be a huge downside to it, otherwise someone would have done it bye now.
Good idea though.

Answer 6

been done before , Turkey has a site that is over 3000 year old where people were living underground

Answer 7

i think it makes a lot of sense to build at least partially underground

Answer 8

Building cities underground is not really a novel idea since it has been done centuries ago and it is still being done today. The question posted here piqued my interest so I decided to read stuff on wikipedia with regard to underground living and underground cities.

When you mention living pleasantly in underground cities, I would like to think it includes most of the things I appreciate above ground like trees and sunlight. At first I thought it would be difficult to plant trees within underground cities but the Forestiere Underground Gardens proves that is not necessarily so. Again, with the right equipment, processes and modern technology, a lot of things can be possible. And yes, visual technology and advanced architecture can help a lot in making underground living more aesthetic. Living beneath the earth need not be likened to dwelling in crude caves when we already have the technology that can help make life better, if used properly.

Subterranean living does provide certain benefits when compared to living in traditional structures. If one were to live underground, one would experience a nearly constant and comfortable temperature without the need for additional insulation or air-conditioning. It would also be a lot quieter since one can be insulated from noise that usually occurs when one lives near busy streets or highways. Underground homes would be resistant to typhoons, tornadoes (exposure to the elements) and most weapon systems (bombs, etc.). And one can be spared landscape eyesores (like rundown buildings near where I work). Probably one of the greatest benefits would be energy efficiency. Supposedly, the stable temperature beneath would help cut down on energy expenses.

However, there is also a negative side to underground cities and subterranean living. Should flooding occur, specialized pumps and drainage equipment would be needed for such. But more than that, when a natural or manmade calamity like an earthquake or fire occurs, escape and survival when trapped in these situations are very low.

Suitability of a place to build underground cities must definitely be taken into consideration. For example, you can’t build subterranean housing near earthquake-prone areas. And you can’t build underground dwellings near a volcano.

But in truth, urban underground living is so common that few even think of it as underground. Many shopping malls are partially or totally underground, below grade tunnels connect buildings (apartments, restaurants, hotels, offices) in many cities around the world. Subway transit is used in many countries. Underground living doesn’t sound so exotic now, not with all the technology available to us.

Overall, I think it's a really good idea to make more underground cities to help decongest overpopulated streets/areas above ground. I think it's also a good way to expand a city without converting much of the countryside or having to deforest jungles or drain swamp lands just to create more developed land for commercial use.

There are probably other down sides to living underground that I just have not thought of, but for now I prefer to focus on the positive things. Just correct me if I'm wrong about stuff. Everybody's entitled to their own opinion anyway.

Here I’ve copy-pasted paragraphs from wikipedia:

Underground dwellings are the preferred mode of housing to communities in such extreme environments as Australia's Coober Pedy, Berber caves as those in Matmâta, Tunisia, and even Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Underground living is even being considered for the design of a future base on Mars.
Located in the Australian outback, Coober Pedy is hundreds of kilometers from the nearest settlement. The harsh summer temperatures and the dominant mining industry mean that most residents live in caves bored into the hillsides and work underground in mine shafts. A standard three bedroom cave home with lounge, kitchen, and bathroom can be drilled out of the rock in the hillside for a similar price to a house on the surface. It remains at a constant temperature, whereas surface living needs air-conditioning. Some of the interesting attractions in Coober Pedy include the mines, the graveyard, and the underground churches. (there are some pictures on the site)
Sydney, Australia has a series of underground shopping malls that are linked together and run for over 3 km.

Edmonton, Canada has a small system of tunnels called the Pedway.

The Chicago Pedway, covering over 40 blocks of downtown Chicago, Illinois, helps pedestrians traverse this area city during inclement weather. This network of tunnels and overhead bridges connects skyscrapers, retail stores, hotels and train stations throughout the central business district and contains shops, restaurants and public art. Construction on the Pedway began in 1951 and it has continued since then. Most connections to the pedway are commercial or governmental in purpose. The Heritage at Millennium Park is the only residential building connected to the pedway.

Montreal (Underground city) or la Ville souterraine in French) in Canada is the largest underground network in the world. Its 32 kilometers of tunnel cover more than 41 city blocks (about 12 square kilometers). More than 2,000 shops and 40 cinemas line the passageways. Tourists often visit various attractions in the underground city, which is used by an average of half a million Montrealers per day.

The PATH network in Toronto, Canada is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with 371,600 square metres. It comprises 27 kilometres of walkways and 1,200 shops. PATH accommodates 100,000 pedestrians daily, and PATH businesses host the world's largest underground sidewalk sale once annually.

The top five largest underground "cities" (chikagai) in Japan are all shopping malls:
• Crysta Nagahori in Chūō-ku, Osaka — 81,765 m²
• Yaesu Chikagai in Chūō-ku, Tokyo — 73,253 m²
• Kawasaki Azalea in Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki — 56,704 m²
• Central Park Chikagai in Naka-ku, Nagoya — 56,370 m²
• Diamor Osaka in Kita-ku, Osaka — 42,977 m²

• Osaka has enormous underground networks in the Umeda, Namba, and Shinsaibashi districts, which include retail shopping, restaurants, and subway and intercity rail stations.

• Kamiya-cho Shareo is an underground city shopping mall located in central Hiroshima built in 2001. Its facilities include 58 shops, 11 restaurants and cafes, 1 police office and extensive parking space.

• Tokyo's subway lines. Near the center of the city, connecting passages between stations that span a few blocks exist for commuters. Stations such as Shinjuku and Shibuya have underground shopping malls. Unlike Montreal's Ville Souterraine, Tokyo's network of tunnels is not seen as a tourist attraction; rather it is seen as one of the many megalopolis features of the city.

Cappadocia, Turkey contains several historical underground cities, carved out of unusual geological formations, largely used by early Christians as hiding places.

Forestiere Underground Gardens located in Fresno, California are an unusual manmade creation built by Baldasare Forestiere, an immigrant from Sicily, over a period of 40 years from 1906 to until his death in 1946. The gardens, while subterranean, do have many skylights and catchbasins for water. There is a wide variety of hybrids and grafted trees, and the underground temperature helps prevent against frost. It is still operated by members of the Forestiere family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_city

Incidentally, there are already conceived structures for the construction of underground cities, some of which have been listed down on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_living