On Street Level: Random Thoughts on our Urban World

Montreal's Underground City

According to this SkyScraperCity forum post, a subterran underground project is taking shape in Seoul, Korea which will include shopping and dining as well as connections to apartment buildings and hotels.  Such a project may help to alleviate traffic on the congested sidewalks in the center of the city, yet these ‘underground cities’ are not always well received.  Living in the Canada, which is perhaps the king of underground cities (both Montreal and Toronto have extremely extensive underground complexes), I am certainly very familiar to these kinds of projects.   I have walked through both Montreal’s Underground City and Toronto’s PATH many many times and they both provide a unique experience for any urban enthusiast.  Certainly, in Canada’s harsh winters, using these subterrain passageways instead of walking around the cold streets seems like a logical idea.

Yet, there has always been criticism of these elaborate projects.  Most often, the criticism surrounds two main points:

1. The fact that such complexes are accused of taking away a large portion of the pedestrian traffic in the streets above.
2. The idea of safety in these underground complexes, especially at night.

I can certainly understand both points and they are legitimate concerns.  However, if I were talking strictly about the underground cities in both Toronto and Montreal, I can honestly say that neither has been a huge issue.  Here, in Toronto, the underground city often acts as a complement to the retail or dining on the streets above.  As well, there is often a high level of security staff and cameras within the underground passageways (sometimes, almost to the point where you feel like you’re being watched at all times).

So is such a project a benefit to Seoul’s urban structure?  It certainly can be, but only if is able to complement the street traffic above well and act as safe place for all those that use it.