Upgrading Sustainability of Large Environmental Hazards; Approaching Urban Underground Development: a case study of Tehran

Contemporary large cities are faced with several problems and threats in social, economic, environmental and physical dimensions. Stabilization of these cities in the environmental hazards, with urban underground development approach is a new Theory in urban development. Iranian large cities located on earthquake faults are a serious threat and vulnerability. Urban underground development approach in development of these cities can help sustain them.This article aimsto explain the importance of urban underground spaces in promoting stability in large cities in the earthquake. The findings of this research are: 1) Resistance and sustainability of underground spaces in natural and unnatural disasters such as: earthquake, fire, vibration, explosion, etc. 2) High resistance and lower damage of underground spaces than aboveground spaces, and 3) positive potentials of underground spaces in solving variety problems of large cities.