Underground Economy

With inhabitable real estate always at a premium in downtown cores, cities are constantly evolving to serve the needs of existing residents while trying to attract new people to partake in the joys of downtown living.

As cities dealt with burgeoning commercial and residential interests, there was really one choice for expansion — build new, taller buildings. But as we reached for the sky, perhaps that left people a little less grounded. It also left people a bit exposed, as some of these concrete canyons created wind tunnels that would turn out the sturdiest of umbrellas on the most miserable days of the year.

That’s where the creation of sheltered pedestrian walkways came from and as businesses realized that more people wanted to live a more sheltered life on their daily walking commutes to their offices, we began to see more shops displaying their wares along footpaths linking office buildings and other venues below street level.

It seemed only a small step to take, to link these underground malls and, in the process, allow commuters to rush from their trains to their office buildings without needing to step outside and brave the heat, the cold, the rain, the wind and the smog.

Although subterranean commercialization is a relatively new idea, underground cities are not. Catacombs are prevalent throughout history with some systems dating back centuries.

At just under 30 km, Toronto’s PATH system is one of the largest in the world, rivalling those of Tokyo and Montreal. Montreal’s RÉSO is the largest in the world, using 30+ km of tunnels under more than 40 city blocks, and connecting to office and apartment buildings, as well as various Metro stations.

Usually, a thriving subway system is the root from which underground communities blossom, which makes Toronto an anomaly because its subterranean transit system is one of the smallest in the world, as large cities go. As such, PATH is regarded more as a shopping mall (the largest in the world, according to Guinness). In contrast, Tokyo’s underground is considerably larger in overall area, but it’s made up of smaller communities linked by the city’s extensive subway system, with few options for visitors to get from one hub to the other outside of riding the Metro or walking above ground. Similarly, cities such as Buenos Aires and Sydney also make their underground spaces work around various subway stations.

Harbour Plaza by Menkes is one of the Toronto condos that will connect with the PATH

At the other extreme, Halifax makes its underground work without a subway, allowing pedestrians to go from business to entertainment hubs (and even linking in one condominium building) in less than 10 minutes (at a casual walking pace).

So, with the ability and viability to make underground communities work, it is not far-fetched to think the possibility for underground expansion is boundless.

Is it crazy of me to suggest the next step instead of new skyscrapers might be “corescrapers” — condominium complexes that reach downward, toward the Earth’s core? With the technology to simulate UV radiation, we could make panels of natural light to simulate breathtaking views from family or sun rooms. We might even have the ability to select what part of the world we look out over; imagine a beach view at Yonge and Gerrard — no, not lakeview... BEACH view, as in Waikiki — or a mountain scape at York and Harbourfront.

And with many of our recreational activities already located, or accessible from underground, what’s to stop us from building other services under our cities? Do we really need to bundle up our children before sending them out the door on a snowy morning and hoping they don’t lose a mitten or step in a soaker along the way? Wouldn’t it ease parents’ minds to simply have them put on their school uniforms for the 30-second elevator trip down to their classrooms?

And what about hospitals or cemeteries? Centuries ago, people built massive underground mausoleums to house the bodies of their deceased ancestors and with grave-space becoming more scarce and expensive, and more people opting for cremation, it makes sense to house a mausoleum not above ground but several meters under it.

Hospitals could still have their emergency areas and receptions above ground for ease of admittance, but instead of being admitted up to the seventh floor maternity ward, for example, you would be wheeled down.

When you look at untapped real-estate potential, underground is one of the few places we’re just beginning to explore. Toronto has four condos currently under construction with a connection to PATH, with another four planned. Can it be long before we see the corresponding infrastructure head downwards too?