"This is the largest investment project in the city today, covering all aspects of the area, from underground utilities, transport and energy resources, " said Svetlana Murdaya of the city's agency for Urban Design Policy and Development.

WSJ: Moscow Business Complex Sees Rebirth

Because of their proximity to the mainland, they were able to bury their utilities underground.

WSJ: The House of The Year

Foster rethought this completely and realized huge savings in structural mass and energy consumption could be made by shifting the utilities underground, leaving a floating roof and walls that could open to natural daylight.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

The preferred mode in Europe is to build not a few hugely expensive incineration behemoths but a larger number of smaller, community-based utilities that burn trash to provide electricity and heat through underground conduits.

WSJ: Grappling With a Garbage Glut

In 2003, the state regulator and electric utilities in North Carolina looked into relocating the state's power lines underground and concluded that it would take 25 years and increase electricity prices by 125%.

WSJ: Should Utilities Be Required to Bury Power Lines to Protect Them?

Despite the high cost of burying lines, utilities in Florida that have endured their fair share of hurricanes are going increasingly underground.

FORBES: Upgrading the Grid by Going Underground