As Hefei develops, traffic congestion and dense buildings will push urban development to seek space underground. Hefei has had plans to use underground space since the last century. Initially, these were civil air defense projects, underground passages, underground parking lots and various underground municipal facilities, with underground space use mostly at shallow levels (0 to -15 meters). With the current construction of Metro Line 1 and Line 2, Hefei's urban development has begun to reach deep underground.

Metro Accelerates Underground Space Development; Underground Mini-Cities to Emerge

In June last year, construction officially began on Hefei Metro Line 1, and in the first half of 2013, construction also started on 7 stations and 8 sections of Metro Line 2. With the construction of metro lines, Hefei will have substantial demand for underground space in the future, and transportation, commerce, public services and municipal facilities will all make extensive use of underground space.

On July 15, the Hefei Urban Planning Bureau held an expert review meeting for the "Hefei Underground Space Development and Utilization Plan (2013—2020)." Among the areas involved, the Hefei Railway Station area, the High-Speed Rail Station area, the old city commercial center area and the Binhu core area are expected to be the first to build four fully functional "underground mini-cities."

Underground mini-city

Commercial Functions Stand Out; Points, Lines and Areas Form a New Urban Space

The use of urban underground space initially aimed to ease surface traffic congestion and parking difficulties, and due to technical constraints, generally only shallow space was used. At present, Hefei's underground space development and utilization mainly consists of underground parking lots and underground passages, while large underground complexes and underground commercial facilities, along with other types of underground facilities, have only just begun.

To ease future parking problems for private cars and traffic pressure in Hefei, the "Hefei Underground Space Development and Utilization Plan (2013—2020)" specifically plans 85 underground public parking lots (58 within the Second Ring Road, with 22 to be built in the near term), 45 underground vehicular tunnels and underground interchanges (10 to be built in the near term), and 42 independent underground pedestrian passages.

With the use of underground space in Hefei, solving traffic congestion is no longer the only function of underground space. Scattered underground points in Hefei will be connected by rail transit lines into lines and then areas, ultimately becoming an "underground city." The "underground city" will have large complexes and commercial facilities, creating outdoor-like spatial effects underground so that people can experience a relatively enclosed artificial environment unaffected by natural climate changes, creating a new commercial environment and social interaction space and extending Hefei's urban public space.

For Hefei residents, the future Hefei "underground city" will be a new urban space composed of underground transportation facilities, underground civil air defense facilities, underground municipal facilities and underground commerce.