Not all cities reach for the sky. Beneath our feet, underground cities are thriving, complete with schools and even cafes. People around the world have found clever ways to live underground, and here are eight cities that prove that.
8. PATH, Toronto, Canada
Beneath Toronto’s bustling downtown lies a large underground shopping complex. We’re talking about The PATH network, a 30-kilometer (19-mile) web of pedestrian tunnels connecting over 75 buildings. While not a residential city in the traditional sense, it serves over 200,000 commuters and tourists daily, offering a climate-controlled world of restaurants, shops, and services.
7. RÉSO, Montreal, Canada
Similar to Toronto’s PATH but more extensive, Montreal’s RÉSO spans 32 kilometers (20 miles) and is used by half a million people every day. This subterranean city connects everything from office towers and hotels to universities and metro stations. It’s an example of how a modern city has adapted to extreme weather, allowing life to continue despite the freezing winters above ground.
6. SubTropolis, Kansas City, USA
Imagine a workplace the size of 140 football fields, 150 feet underground. That’s SubTropolis, the world’s largest underground business complex. Over 1,600 people report to work here in a naturally climate-controlled environment. With nearly 7 miles of paved roads and its own railroad spur, it’s a logistical and commercial hub hidden from the world.
5. Matmata, Tunisia
Instantly recognizable as Luke Skywalker’s home, the troglodyte dwellings of Matmata aren’t just a movie set. For centuries, Berber families have carved their homes into the soft sandstone. While the population is decreasing, some families still inhabit these ancient homes, preserving a way of life that offers a natural defense against the harsh desert heat.
4. Helsinki, Finland
Beneath the Finnish capital is a network of over 200 miles of tunnels and 5,000 bomb shelters that can house the city’s entire population of over 600,000 people. It’s a functioning part of the city, with underground swimming pools, ice hockey rinks, and even a church, all designed for dual use. Helsinki is basically a city prepared for the worst.
3. Las Vegas Tunnels, USA
Beneath the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas Strip lies a hidden world. A sprawling 600-mile network of flood tunnels has become home to around 1,500 people. These are not official residences but a reality for a segment of the city’s homeless population. In these concrete channels, communities have formed, creating makeshift homes in the face of hardship.
2. Dixia Cheng, Beijing, China
Built during the Cold War as a bomb shelter, Beijing’s Dixia Cheng was designed to house the city’s entire population of six million people at the time. This 85-square-kilometer complex had everything from hospitals and schools to theaters. While it never served its original purpose, it’s estimated that up to a million people (the “rat tribe”) now live in these underground spaces due to the high cost of housing in the city.
1. Coober Pedy, Australia
In the scorching Australian outback, where summer temperatures can top 50°C (122°F), Coober Pedy has found a solution: they live underground. Some of the residents here live in “dugouts” or homes carved into the soft sandstone. These subterranean houses, complete with modern amenities, maintain a comfortable 23°C (73°F) year-round, no air conditioning needed.
