Social aspects of working in underground spaces

With growing population in urban areas, the problem of lacking space is becoming more prominent. Thus, the development of underground space has increasingly gained attention as a viable solution. Social aspects, such as social behavior and attitudes toward underground spaces could act as both facilitators and inhibitors toward the adoption of underground spaces. Here we review, present and discuss the major social parameters associated with working in underground spaces. Our research overview identified three major themes that pervade existing literature: attitudes and perception; social behavior; and the impact of environmental attributes of underground spaces. Yet, we also notice that the social and cultural elements associated with underground spaces have remained largely unexplored, with previous research being of more of a qualitative character and, to some extent, outdated. We thus subsequently identified the major unexplored themes and present an organized, systematic research program for a more holistic and quantifiable understanding of the interaction between social behavior and underground spaces. We end by discussing how this research program can be integrated with other disciplines, including engineering, design and health.