Those familiar with Real Estate certainly know about the Highest and Best Use Principle. It states that the highest and best use of a property is one that produces the highest property value. Now while `highest` here doesn’t necessarily mean to build up, when I say LOWEST, I do however mean to build downwards – a little play on words. Now I have worked in buildings that had office space, workshops and gyms atleast 60 to 80- feet underground. If one watches the beginning phases of the construction of office towers, they will see what I am talking about. Now what if this principle was applied to other types of buildings? What if industrial buildings were to keep their warehouses underground? What if residential buildings had basements with 12 foot ceilings? Grocery stores and their stock, retailers and their clothes etc. With current technology, architecture and design, underground space need not be limited to boiler rooms or parking garages anymore – and it isn`t. If one spends about 5 minutes on GOOGLE, they can find magnificient examples of how the ground below us is being developed in certain parts of the world. What I am suggesting is thinking about how everyday development projects may make use of this concept. If landowners are looking to maximize the use of their land and make use of its potential – they should not only consider building up to maximize the surface area, but also those aspects of the development that may be just as well suited below ground.
What are your opinions on building underground?
The Evans Real Estate Group Blog 
I’ve been following the development of underground commercial/institutional buildings in the United States for several years. See some of what I’ve found at SubsurfaceBuildings.com. And look for my book Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye at any online bookstore. Some other countries may be moving faster in this direction, but there’s more going on in the US than most people realize.