Géosciences, la revue du BRGM pour une Terre Durable
BRGM’s journal for a sustainable Earth
Géosciences no.10
Megalopoleis and urban geology
1st summary draft of 01.01.09
Chief editor: Jacques Varet
Theme managers / coordinators: Pierre Thierry – Dominique Janjou
Topics proposed (non definite order)
1. “The building stone in sustainable development policies”
Past, present, future - State of resources - How to reintroduce the stone (cut stone) in urban
construction.
Heritage aspect, proximity saving (France + e.g. Scotland, Spain (Salamanca). Development of
extraction systems designed to preserve the materials
Text box on current SD and construction policy in Scotland
2. Management of ancient cavities - Gypsum quarries, catacombs
3. Underground structures – Underground urban planning
Underground storage - Underground networks - Underground cities
Text box on Montreal, Narbonne (e.g. underground waste collection) or Spanish city
4. Water supply in cities
(rivers, ground water) – Salinity issues (coastal cities) – Supply issues: case of Barcelona, Mexico
(subsidence pb), Beijing (water table decline) – Saragossa
5. Management of degraded urban soils
6. Urban dusts
French + international examples: New York – Beijing (loess dust from Mongolia) + Latin American and
Southern city
7. Historical aspect of cities – anthropogenic soils – Anthropogeology - Urban geological strata
8. Disappearance of cities – Causes (geological phenomena) and geological methods used to find
sites - e.g.: Babylon – Pompei – Beirut destroyed by an earthquake in the 5th century and reappearing
in the 19th century – Alexandria
Disappearance of Mesopotamian and Iranian cities
9. Coastal urban planning (e.g. New Orleans)
Historical, demographic approach - Climatic change
10. Use of geothermal energy
Prospective article – link type of geothermal system and type of habitat. Present urban model for the
optimization of geothermal energy.
11. Plea in favour of a centralized Urban Geological Service
12. Flat cities and hilly cities (Valparaiso, La Paz)
Management – global approach of the subject
Risks of slopes (and seismic risks) in the town of Messina (Sicily)
13. Living on a volcano
14. Model of the city in terms of water, energy
Water balance, energy, raw materials (organic and mineral)
15. From risk to management of cities: The sustainable city
The authors contacted belong to the following organizations:
Universities of Paris VI - Paris X
University of Lyon
University of Compiègne
University of Roma
BRGM
Spanish water agency
CNAM
CIRED
CNRS
French general inspection of quarries
DRAGADOS
ARUP
Architecture firm
Chronogram:
Beginning of 2009: contact with identified authors
March 1st till April 30th, 2009: handover of manuscripts
April till May 2009: reviewing – corrections authors – translation – rewriting
June-July 2009: layout setting - Ready for print
September 2009: publishing / distribution