Underground agriculture: repurposing abandoned tunnels in coal-mining systems

Zhao, Qingyi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/93019 Copy

Description

Title

Underground agriculture: repurposing abandoned tunnels in coal-mining systems

Author(s)

Zhao, Qingyi

Issue Date

2016-06-30

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Hays, David L.

Committee Member(s)

• Sears, Stephen
• Ting, Kuan Chong

Department of Study

Landscape Architecture

Discipline

Landscape Architecture

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.L.A.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Coalmine
• Agriculture
• Repurpose
• Reclaim

Abstract

Underground agriculture is a way to reclaim abandoned tunnels in coal-mining systems, putting them to new, productive uses. Underground agriculture is also a way to help revive the economy of mining districts, transforming their basis from a limited-lifespan extraction industry to an unlimited-lifespan generative industry. This method could help address a major problem facing cultures and economies today: sustaining food production in the face of systematic failures, growing urban populations, and climate change. This project starts with a specific concern for post-industrial coal mining areas, which suffer economic depression and environmental pollution. Many abandoned coal mine tunnels are now being repurposed as landfills or, after cleaning, as storage facilities. This project is an opportunity to rethink how we might treat such situations productively, taking advantage of existing infrastructure. This project also sets up system-specific approaches for dealing with similar situations, in which economic growth and co-operative engagement are sought.

Graduation Semester

2016-08

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/93019

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2016 Qingyi Zhao

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