THE USE OF GEO-RESOURCES UNDERNEATH CITIES FOR RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE URBAN DESIGN

UK cities have seen the largest phase of growth since the Industrial Revolution. This growth is placing significant pressure on the resources that cities depend upon to meet their every-day needs; Globally the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to sustainably use and manage natural resources by 2030. To meet these expectations, innovative ways of utilising natural resources must be considered in the context of urban design at multiple scales (buildings, neighbourhoods and cities).

Humankind has harnessed natural resources throughout history, and we have developed methods to utilise and consume these resources which have advanced over time in line with technological development. The subsurface offers geological resources (geo-resources), often over-looked by city practitioners, essential to support sustenance and urban expansion, including; geo-materials, sub-surface space, groundwater and geothermal energy.

This research evaluates the potential use of geo-resources in the context of sustainable and resilient urban design. The multiple case study procedure is adapted to assess the relationship between geo-resources utilisation and urban design, through the application of sustainability assessments and resilience frameworks. Three methodologies have been defined; 1) cross-case study analysis of two city locations within the UK to assess the use of geo-resources in recent urban developments. 2) Comparison of theoretical and applied techniques for sustainability/resilience assessment frameworks. 3) International case exemplars to evaluate transferability of approaches to UK cities. The results contribute towards the development of an urban geo-resource design tool for enhancing the resilience and sustainability of urban areas.