25/01/2026
At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, the ITA-AITES Committee on Underground Space, ITACUS, was present on the ground to contribute to conversations that increasingly recognise the role of resilient, invisible infrastructure in a world under pressure.
Led by Antonia Cornaro and Mahak Agrawal, ITACUS - the ITA Committee on Underground Space engaged across formal and informal settings to bring attention to how underground space, and the systems beneath our cities, are central to climate adaptation, urban resilience, and long term sustainability.
This year’s Davos discussions reflected a noticeable shift. While climate ambition remains present, much of the focus has moved towards resilience, adaptation, and managing climate impacts already underway. In this context, ITACUS highlighted the importance of underground infrastructure not as a technical afterthought, but as a strategic asset for cities facing climate, energy, and space constraints.
Key engagements included discussions on information integrity in climate and infrastructure decision making, the need for systems level thinking beyond surface solutions, and the role of underground space in enabling resilient urban transitions. Conversations reinforced that effective implementation depends not only on innovation, but on trust, clarity, and long term planning.
Davos remains a place for dialogue rather than delivery. For ITACUS, the value lay in connecting with a diverse set of stakeholders, testing ideas, and ensuring that underground space continues to be part of global conversations on sustainable and resilient cities.
The work continues beyond Davos, where real implementation takes place.
Infrastructure
