Beneath the Metropolis The Natural and Man-Made Underground of the World's Great Cities

by Marshall, Alex

• ISBN13: 9780195145175
• ISBN10: 0195145178
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2099-11-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Urbanization has dramatically increased worldwide in the last few decadesresulting in the creation of mega-cities (cities with populations of at least 10million). But few people living in these areas have any idea of what liesunderfoot, or understand its importance. In Beneath the Metropolis, AlexMarshall leads an informative and entertaining 12-city tour brimming withfascinating details about this mysterious underground realm. An absorbing topicfor anyone that has visited or lives in a large city, this book demonstratesthat without the subterranean web of wires, tunnels, pipes, and cables, themodern city would not exist.Beneath the Metropolis peels back the layers of history, politics, economics,and geology covering some of the most populous, and most interesting cities: NewYork; Chicago; San Francisco; Mexico City; Paris; Rome; London; Moscow; Cairo;Tokyo; Beijing; and Sydney. Each rests atop an immense labyrinth ofinfrastructure that, while hidden from view, helps to give every metropolis itscharacter, and offers clues about how certain changes have enabled futuresustainability. Numerous photographs, maps, diagrams, and timelines appearthroughout the book enhancing an engaging narrative about the new human habitat.

Author Biography

Alex Marshall is an independent journalist and the author of How Cities Work: Suburbs, Sprawl and the Roads Not Taken. His writing has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, Metropolis, The Boston Globe, Architectural Record, Slate, and other publications. A Senior Fellow at Regional Plan Association, a regional urban planning organization in New York City, he is also a member of the Citistates Group, a network of journalists, speakers and civic leaders focused on building competitive, equitable and sustainable 21st-century metropolitan regions.