On behalf of the Organising Committee and ACUUS, it is our pleasure to invite you to Singapore in 2023 for the 18th Conference of the Associated Research Centers for the Urban Underground Space (ACUUS 2023 Singapore). ACUUS 2023 combines with the 2nd International Conference on the Exploration and Utilisation of Underground Space (EUUS-2). The EUUS conference series is an ACUUS initiative with a focus on urban geology and underground resources.

Worldwide, the use of underground space has been increasingly recognised as part of the solutions for sustainable urban development. In Singapore, underground space has been elevated to a strategic level and economic imperative when the government announced that underground space development will form part of the economic strategies for Singapore’s future development. For the first time, underground space was included as part of Singapore’s Master Plan 2019. Special legislations have been enacted on the ownership and acquisition of underground space. There has also been a paradigm shift towards the underground as a default option for major infrastructure development.

The main theme for ACUUS 2023 Singapore is “Underground Space – the Next Frontier.” This theme was chosen to focus on the new opportunities and challenges in underground space use amid a re-focus on exploring and developing the underground space as a strategic resource and part of sustainable development. The new frontier presents unprecedented opportunities for simultaneously improving urban infrastructure, urban livability, and resilience. At the same time, special challenges exist in developing underground space – both from a human design perspective and in terms of complexity, 3D planning, system integration, technical, and life cycle costs. Equally important is the need to move from the creation of underground space as a haphazard, last resort solution to a well-planned, and integrated use of underground space that can serve the needs of society for future generations as well as our own.

As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and is faced with the many challenges in climate resilience, ACUUS 2023 Singapore will provide a timely opportunity and an excellent forum for engaging discussions and exchanges among planners, designers, engineers, researchers, and policy makers. We look forward to welcoming you to Singapore on 1 -4 Nov 2023.