Reviving Burial in Tunnels

"Every year the tunneling business is expanding and collaboration with the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) for the future design of cities and urban communities is in the making. During the last half of this century, billions of people migrated to cities, and it is estimated that by 2030 almost five billion people worldwide will reside in urban communities. Hence, “Underground development will be an important tool in reshaping our urban areas to meet the challenges of the future without destroying their heritage or worsening their surface environment” (Esaki, 2005). In 2013, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated life expectancy to be around 80 years, meaning that in less than a decade we will need to bury billions of people in cities and urban communities, while trying to retain the deceased’s beliefs and customs. Religion plays a major role in our lives, and many people worldwide still decline to cremate their body after their death; therefore, cemeteries are essential for city inhabitants. Rites and traditions usually call for burials to be near the place of residence, which allows the remaining family members and friends to visit the grave frequently, at least in the first years. This is a challenge that urban designers and architects must confront while trying to solve the problems of future urbanization. In recent years, population growth, the rising cost of land and the extensive preservation of green areas have made cemeteries a burden and a nuisance, particularly for large cities and communities. Many graveyards that were once on the city's outskirts have become lifeless islands in populated areas (Fig. 1), rarely visited by the second and later generations. Cities worldwide face the challenge of allocating less land to maintain current burial practices. In response, some cities have begun to bury their dead at a great distance from the community; others have started to stacked burials, one on top of the other, while still others are constructing buildings and even skyscrapers for the practice of burial (Fig. 2)."