Resumen de Service tunnels as an element for the regeneration of historic centres: the case of Pamplona

José Vicente Valdenebro García, José Ignacio Iribarren Berrade

• Linked to the enormous growth and modernization of cities, especially since the late nineteenth century, a need has arisen for new networks of urban services destined primarily to distribute electricity, gas and telecommunications. These networks have been sharing the underground section of the city with other services such as sewer and water systems that have traditionally occupied this space.

  There are many cities that, despite their high initial cost compared to the traditional burial system, have opted for the construction of service tunnels understanding these to be one of the best alternatives for new urban developments. This is somehow justified in the improvement of services aimed to make preventive, predictive and corrective maintenance faster and cheaper.

  Taking this one step further, the city of Pamplona has decided to use these kinds of service tunnels in conjunction with the redevelopment and pedestrianization of its historic center. This facility has a space reserved for a future pneumatic collection system for solid urban waste. This is a pioneer urban regeneration project that, with over 4 kilometers of service tunnels implemented over the time, has allowed the combination of the history of its medieval old town with the modernity of 21st century urbanism.