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Archived Articles  Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian descent, and former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with the hot political and economic topics, both Bulgarian and international. ("A Royal Solution." World Press Review. June 1997, provides English versions). He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in the country, and in 1996-1997 participated in the international monitors' teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria. In 1999 he was among the few Bulgarian journalists that supported NATO military operation against Yugoslavia. In 2002 Simeon and his family emigrated from Bulgaria to Canada where they now live in Montreal, Quebec.
Global Real Estate Project
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Europe: Building underground cities'Underground cities' isn't a new concept. In large urban centers with wintry climate, like Montreal or Toronto or Edmonton, all of them in Canada, significant part of the daily life of people during the long winter seasons is passing underground. Tens of miles of corridors link shops, restaurants, transportation hubs, office buildings, recreation activities, universities, libraries, concert halls, and other cultural centers. In most of Western Europe, however, with its uniquely mild climate, this concept is rather new. The existing metro systems haven't been designed to put the social life underground, but only to make easier the public transportation after the dawn of the industrial age. The Dutch city of Amsterdam may be planning to build comprehensive underground infrastructures for living, for recreation and for doing business. The plan of $15 billion, if approved, would take 20 years to become reality. Why should some European cities design expensive underground living and working spaces? The case of Amsterdam is rather unique, but similar reasons can be found in more than one city on the continent. It's the unique blend of history and the need of more spaces for ever-growing number of residents. Unlike most North American urban areas, many European cities exist for many hundreds of years, and some for many thousands of years. The strategy of erasing those structures that have become unnecessary or malfunctioning and building from the ground up will destroy the unique architectural heritage, which for many is one good reasons people live there or come to see it. For large parts of the Netherlands an additional factor makes difficult making radical urban changes: the low land compared to the high sea level.
 The underground city in Amsterdam In the case of Amsterdam, the construction company Strukton, owned by the Dutch railway, is proposing building an underground city six floors deep under the famous canals of the old city. During the construction process they will be drained section by section while construction takes place and then refilled with water. Strukton is also working on a metro hub under the Amsterdam central station for a new subway line linking the north and south of the city. The old center of Amsterdam is built on marshland and many of the houses along the canals are still supported by wooden poles, so the new underground city will be built in the clay under the canal water. Back to the general issue of building underground cities in Europe (and elsewhere where the climate is mild, but the population is dense); going deeper and deeper will certainly open a new dimension in urban planning. Even in cities like New York going deeper may be the last option left for reconciling the needs of many millions of people with the comfort of the 21st century.
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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Netherlands.
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