Underground City Systems

Underground City Systems is part of the “Underground Worlds” series. The series investigates natural and manufactured underground structures and systems. “Underground City Systems” looks at the buried infrastructure for water and power that cities rely on and citizens expect but seldom, if ever, see.

Like other books in the “Underground Worlds” series, Underground City Systems presents interesting content using many excellent photos and graphic illustrations supported by sparse but informative text. Each topic includes a “DID YOU KNOW” circle text box with additional attention-grabbing information. For example, “DID YOU KNOW? Flin Flon in Manitoba, Canada, may be one of the only cities in the world with aboveground water and sewage lines. The mining city is built on bedrock that made it impossible to bury the lines. Heated water circulates in the lines to prevent freezing in winter.”

I’m not sure why this book appeals to me so much. Perhaps it is the picture of the beautiful Crossness Pumping Station in London that is now a museum. Or perhaps it is the illustration of the sewermen pulling tourists through the Paris sewers in the 19th century. Or the picture of a modern day fatberg. Gross. And there is the double page spread about sewer divers which is perhaps not an occupation to counsel your students to pursue. Most likely, it is the picture of the sewer chandelier in Cologne on the front cover.

Although the books are only 32 pages long and the text content is limited, the format is sure to catch the interest of many students and may entice some to investigate a career they might not previously have considered, for example, chandelier cleaner in the sewers of Cologne.