Development and applications of common utility tunnels in China

Common utility tunnels (utilidors) are attracting more and more attention in China with the rapid urban development and growing need for public facilities. China is a large country with a huge north-south divide, which leads to different situations of construction, types of utilities incorporated, route design and governance issues for utility tunnels in different cities. This paper introduces the latest status for such tunnels in China by collecting and analyzing existing and planned utility tunnels in China from 1959 to 2020. Furthermore, the key issues that may influence the development of utility tunnels in the next decade in China are summarized. These, in combination with the domestic and foreign research status, suggest typical cases and a policy orientation which may be helpful to the future development of common utility tunnels in China and other countries.