Urban exploration explained

Urban exploration (often shortened as UE, urbex, and sometimes known as roof and tunnel hacking[1]) is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical interest/documentation are heavily featured in the hobby, sometimes involving trespassing onto private property.[2] Urban exploration is also called draining (a specific form of urban exploration where storm drains or sewers are explored),[3] urban spelunking,[4] urban rock climbing,[5] urban caving,[6] building hacking, or mousing.

The activity presents various risks, including physical danger, the possibility of arrest and punishment if done illegally and/or without permission, and the risk of encountering squatters. Some activities associated with urban exploration may violate local or regional laws, certain broadly interpreted anti-terrorism laws, or can be considered trespassing or invasion of privacy. Encountering squatters, who are unauthorized occupants in abandoned or unmonitored properties, can lead to unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations.

Exploration sites

Abandonments

Ventures into abandoned structures are perhaps the most common example of urban exploration. Many sites are entered first by locals and may have graffiti or other kinds of vandalism, while others are better preserved. Although targets of exploration vary from one country to another, high-profile abandonments include amusement parks, grain elevators, factories, power plants, missile silos, fallout shelters, hospitals, asylums, prisons, schools, outmoded and abandoned skyscrapers, poor houses, and sanatoriums.

In Japan, abandoned infrastructure is known as (literally "ruins"), and the term is synonymous with the practice of urban exploration.[7] are particularly common in Japan because of its rapid industrialization (e.g., Hashima Island), damage during World War II, the 1980s real estate bubble, and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[8] In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a large underground facility abandoned since 1992 is Željava Air Base, situated under the mountain, near the city of Bihać. It was the largest underground airport and military air base in the SFR Yugoslavia, and one of the largest in Europe. The complex contains tunnels in total length of 3.5 km (2.2 mi), and other large facilities. Nowadays, it is popular for urban exploration, although it is risky due to the possibility of anti-personnel landmines being located in unexplored areas, remnants from 1990s Bosnian War.[9] [10] [11]

Many explorers find the decay of uninhabited space profoundly beautiful, and some are also proficient freelance photographers who document what they see, such as those who document the infrastructure of the former USSR.[12]

Abandoned sites are also popular among historians, preservationists, architects, archaeologists, industrial archaeologists, and ghost hunters.

Active buildings

Another aspect of urban exploration is the practice of exploring active or in use buildings, which includes gaining access to secured or "member-only" areas, mechanical rooms, roofs, elevator rooms, abandoned floors, and other normally unseen parts of working buildings. The term "infiltration" is often associated with exploring active structures. People entering restricted areas may be committing trespass, and civil prosecution may result.

Catacombs

Catacombs such as those found in Paris,[13] Rome, Odessa, and Naples have been investigated by urban explorers. Some consider the Mines of Paris, comprising many of the tunnels that are not open to public tours, including the catacombs, the "Holy Grail" due to their extensive nature and history. Explorers of these spaces are known as cataphiles.

Sewers and storm drains

Entry into storm drains, or "draining", is another common form of urban exploration. Groups devoted to the task have arisen, such as the Cave Clan in Australia. Draining has a specialized set of guidelines, the foremost of which is "When it rains, no drains!", because the dangers of becoming entrapped, washed away, or killed increase dramatically during heavy rainfall.

A small subset of explorers enter sanitary sewers. Sometimes they are the only connection to caves or other subterranean features. Sewers are among the most dangerous locations to explore owing to the risk of poisoning by buildups of toxic gas (commonly methane, hydrogen sulfide, or carbon dioxide). Sewers can contain viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms. Protective equipment is recommended for people who enter sewers.[14]

Transit tunnels

Exploring active and abandoned subway and railway tunnels, bores, and stations is often considered trespassing and can result in civil prosecution due to security concerns. As a result, this type of exploration is rarely publicized. An exception to this is the abandoned subway of Rochester, New York, the only American city with an abandoned subway system that was once operational. The Cincinnati subway is also abandoned but was never completed. London has a number of stations on the London Underground network that have been closed over the years, with Aldwych tube station a popular location for explorers.

Utility tunnels

See main article: Utility tunnel.

Universities, and other large institutions, such as hospitals, often distribute hazardous superheated steam for heating or cooling buildings from a central heating plant. These pipes are generally run through utility tunnels, which are often intended to be accessible solely for the purposes of maintenance. Nevertheless, many of these steam tunnels, especially those on college campuses, have a tradition of exploration by students. This practice was once called "vadding" at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but students there now call it roof and tunnel hacking.

Some steam tunnels have dirt floors, poor lighting and temperatures above 45C. Others have concrete floors, bright light, and more moderate temperatures. Most steam tunnels have large intake fans to bring in the fresh air and push the hot air out the back, and these may start without warning. Most active steam tunnels do not contain airborne asbestos, but proper breathing protection may be required for other respiratory hazards. Experienced explorers are very cautious inside active utility tunnels since pipes can spew boiling hot water or steam from leaky valves or pressure relief blow-offs. Often there are puddles of muddy water on the floor, making slips and falls a special concern near hot pipes.

Steam tunnels have generally been secured more heavily in recent years due to their frequent use for carrying communications network backbone cables, increased safety and liability concerns, and perceived risk of use in terrorist activities.

Popularity

The rise in urban exploration's popularity can be attributed to increased media attention. Recent television shows such as Urban Explorers on the Discovery Channel, MTV's Fear, and the Ghost Hunting exploits of The Atlantic Paranormal Society have packaged the hobby for a popular audience. The fictional film After... (2006), a hallucinatory thriller set in Moscow's underground subways, features urban explorers caught up in extreme situations. Talks and exhibits on urban exploration have appeared at the fifth and sixth Hackers on Planet Earth Conference, complementing numerous newspaper articles and interviews.

Another source of popular information is Cities of the Underworld, a documentary series that ran for three seasons on the History Channel starting in 2007. This series roamed around the world, showing little-known underground structures in remote locales and right under the feet of densely packed city-dwellers. Websites for professional and hobby explorers have been developed to share tips and locations.[15]

With the rise in the hobby's popularity, there has been increasing discussion of whether the extra attention has been beneficial.[16]

Legality

The activity's growing popularity has resulted in increased attention not just from explorers but also from vandals and law enforcement. The illicit aspects of urban exploring, which may include trespassing and breaking and entering,[17] [18] have had critical attention in mainstream newspapers.[19]

In Australia, lawyers for the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales shut down the Sydney Cave Clan's website after they raised concerns that the portal could "risk human safety and threaten the security of its infrastructure".[19] Another website belonging to the Bangor Explorers Guild was criticized by the Maine State Police for encouraging behavior that "could get someone hurt or killed".[19] Toronto Police, called for an "end" to rooftop photography in 2016, citing similar concerns about the possibility of death or injury.[20] The Toronto Transit Commission has used the Internet to crimp subway tunnel explorations, going as far as to send investigators to various explorers' homes.[19]

Jeff Chapman, who authored Infiltration, writes that genuine urban explorers "never vandalize, steal or damage anything". The thrill comes from "discovery and a few nice pictures".[19] Some explorers also request permission for entry in advance.[21]

Hazards

Storm drains are not designed with human access as their primary use and can be subject to flash flooding and bad air.

Many abandoned structures have hazards such as unstable structures, unsafe floors, broken glass, stray voltage, entrapment hazards, or unknown chemicals and other harmful substances (most notably asbestos). Other risks include freely roaming guard dogs and hostile squatters. Some abandoned locations may be heavily guarded by motion detectors and active security patrols, while others are more easily accessible and carry less risk of discovery.[22]

Deaths from urban exploration

DateLocationDescription
Toronto, CanadaA 26-year-old man died in hospital two days after falling off a catwalk at the abandoned Richard L. Hearn Thermal Generating Station in Toronto. The man entered the building with a friend intending to take "artistic photographs" of the building.[23]
Saint Paul, United StatesA man was inside a tunnel along the Mississippi river when it began to rain heavily, and the rain swept him down the tunnel to the river. The man was found in the river and later died in hospital, having drowned.[24] [25]
Neman, RussiaIt is thought that a 9-year-old boy fell from a spiral staircase to the ground inside the ruins of Ragnit Castle and died from his injuries.[26] [27]
Brisbane, AustraliaA man was kayaking through a storm water drain when he became trapped by rising water from heavy rain and drowned.[28] [29]
La Mulatière, FranceAn 18-year-old boy was on Mulatière railway bridge taking photos, when he fell from the bridge and died.[30]
Chicago, United StatesA Memphis photographer and urban explorer died after a 14-story fall off a hotel in Chicago while trespassing.[31]
Philadelphia, United StatesA 30-year-old photographer and urban explorer died in Philadelphia after being swept away in a flash flood while exploring a storm drain.[32]
Moscow, RussiaA 16-year-old boy was walking on the roof of a one-story abandoned building and was killed when the edge of the building collapsed.[33] [34]
Totnes, United KingdomA 22-year-old man died after falling from the roof of an abandoned factory.[35]
Moscow, RussiaA 34-year-old YouTuber suffered a fatal fall while filming a YouTube video in an abandoned building in Moscow.[36]

Rooftopping

See main article: Rooftopping. Rooftopping and skywalking are the ascents of rooftops, cranes, antennas, smokestacks, etc., usually illegally, to get an adrenaline rush and take selfie photos or videos. Rooftopping differs from skywalking as the latter is mostly about taking panoramic photographs of the scene below, and safety is more important than the thrill.[37] Rooftopping has been especially popular in Russia.[38] Buildering has a similar goal as rooftopping and skywalking (to reach the roof), but involves climbing the building from the outside rather than infiltrating from the inside.

Methods and technology

See also

General

Organisations

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Access All Areas: A User's Guide to the Art of Urban Exploration . 2005 . 223 . . Infilpress . 9780973778700 . 29 August 2022.
  2. News: The Art of Urban Exploration. Nestor. James. 19 August 2007. San Francisco Chronicle. 20 June 2008.
  3. News: Forgive us our tresspasses . Seth . Stevenson . . London . 15 October 2000 . 105 . 31 August 2022.
  4. News: Storm drains vital for a rainy day, but at times they're overwhelmed . Sheridan . Lyons . . 6 July 1981 . 32 . 29 August 2022.
  5. News: Michael . Scott . 1 March 1993 . Hacking the Material World . . 1 . 3 . 29 August 2022.
  6. News: Circling the Drain . David . Lipin . . January 1997 . 42 . 1 . 18 . 29 August 2022.
  7. Web site: Michael . Gakuran . The Hazards of Haikyo and Urban Exploration . 23 March 2010 . 21 June 2011.
  8. Web site: Haikyo: Abandoned Treasure. Weekender. May 2010. 18 November 2010.
  9. Web site: Zeljava Airbase . 27 April 2017 . Atlas Obscura.
  10. Web site: June 17, 1968 . Underground Aircraft Dispersal Bihac Airfield, Yugoslavia 44-50N 015-47E . 28 July 2022 . . nsarchive2.gwu.edu.
  11. Web site: Zeljava-jna_jedinice . 27 April 2017 .
  12. News: Shevchenko. Vitaly. The urban explorers of the ex-USSR. 12 February 2014. BBC. 11 February 2014.
  13. Paris Underground Map. Michel-Eugène Lefébure de Fourcy. 1841.
  14. Web site: Water . Municipal Sewer and . 2020-06-22 . How to Keep Sewer Workers Safe . 2022-12-09 . Municipal Sewer and Water . en.
  15. News: Mele. Christopher. 2020-07-27. Urban Explorers Give Modern Ruins a Second Life. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-08-16. 0362-4331.
  16. Web site: 2016-03-18 . Urban explorers risking lives and arrest for social media glory, say experts . 2022-12-09 . the Guardian . en.
  17. Web site: Urban exploration - Richard Shepherd photographs derelict buildings in the North East and further afield. . BBC Tyne, Broadcasting Centre . 20 August 2008 . 23 April 2014.
  18. Web site: 2020-04-17 . Urban exploration: the threat to business . 2022-12-09 . City Security Magazine . en-GB.
  19. News: Urban explorers dare to investigate seldom-seen Pittsburgh sites. 7 September 2003. Batz. Bob Jr.. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 20 June 2008.
  20. Web site: Edge walkers: police call for end to 'rooftopping' before it's too late Globalnews.ca . 2022-12-10 . Global News . 7 November 2015 . en-US.
  21. News: Ebaster . Al . 19 September 2007 . Legal Urban Exploration: 7 Tips for Visiting Historical Abandonments . Web Urbanist .
  22. News: Abandoned beauties: Urban explorers find adventure in ruins of old buildings . 5 December 2004 . Owen . Mary . . 27 July 2009 .
  23. News: Reinhart . Anthony . Urban explorer pays for his hobby with his life . 1 December 2022.
  24. News: Woodbury man dies after being swept into river while exploring. 26 April 2009. RiverTown News. 27 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20210708015306/https://www.republicaneagle.com/news/woodbury-man-dies-after-being-swept-into-river-while-exploring/article_cffce747-6b35-5236-8a4d-c2c976226c8f.html. 8 July 2021. live.
  25. News: Man dies, another rescued in drama along Mississippi River. Heron Marquez Estrada. 26 April 2009. Star Tribune. 27 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20210708015342/https://www.startribune.com/man-dies-another-rescued-in-drama-along-mississippi-river/43744557/?refresh=true. 8 July 2021. live.
  26. News: In Neman, a 9-year-old boy fell from the stairs of a destroyed fortress and died. 17 June 2013. klops. 25 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125043205/https://klops.ru/news/Proisshestvija/72814/V-Nemane-9letnij-maljcik-upal-s-lestnicy-razrusennoj-kreposti-i-pogib.html. 25 November 2020. live.
  27. News: In Neman, the police found the corpse of a 9-year-old boy. 17 June 2020. new Kaliningrad. 12 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20130730160412/http://www.newkaliningrad.ru/news/incidents/2078249-v-nemane-politsiya-obnaruzhila-trup-9letnego-malchika.html. 30 July 2013. live.
  28. News: Man exploring Brisbane city tunnels dies in heavy storm. 23 March 2015. Byron Shire News. 27 September 2020. 24 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201124183003/https://www.byronnews.com.au/news/man-exploring-brisbane-city-tunnels-dies-heavy-sto/2582781/. dead.
  29. News: Man exploring Brisbane city tunnels dies in heavy storm. 23 March 2015. The Courier Mail. 7 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210707074711/https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/man-exploring-brisbane-city-tunnels-dies-in-heavy-storm/news-story/8895be7155e45d1b7bf65beb5a6e64d3. 7 July 2021.
  30. News: Lyon: Since the disappearance of Maxime, tributes have multiplied on the networks. Noble-Werner. Baptiste. 15 January 2017. 20minutes. 27 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201112022609/https://www.20minutes.fr/lyon/1996007-20170115-lyon-depuis-disparition-maxime-hommages-multiplient-reseaux. 12 November 2020. live.
  31. News: Man taking photos falls 14 stories to his death at Chicago hotel . 1 December 2022.
  32. News: Scotti . Ariel . Urban explorer who died while photographing Philadelphia storm drain remembered as 'bando queen' . 1 December 2022.
  33. News: "One brick collapsed": details of the death of a teenager who crashed at Moscow. Zabailovich. Julia. 5 August 2019. e1.ru. 9 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20210307231116/https://www.e1.ru/news/spool/news_id-66185446.html. 7 March 2021. dead.
  34. News: In Yekaterinburg, a teenager crashed to death by falling from the roof of a one-story building. 3 August 2019. e1.ru. 9 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20210708080314/https://www.e1.ru/text/incidents/2019/08/03/66184729/. 8 July 2021. live.
  35. News: 'I cannot let him die in vain' Mum pays tribute to 'urban explorer' son who died after falling from roof. 2020-08-02. 2020-09-13. Smith. Daniel. WalesOnline. https://web.archive.org/web/20200807104653/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/i-cannot-him-die-vain-18703846. 7 August 2020. dead.
  36. News: Ningthoujam . Natalia . 34-Year-Old Russian YouTuber Falls To Death From Fire Escape While Shooting Video . 1 December 2022.
  37. Web site: Meet the rooftoppers: the urban outlaws who risk everything to summit our cities . The Guardian. 17 February 2015 .
  38. Lucy Ash, Article in "BBC News" March 23, 2017
  39. Web site: Afraid of heights? You'll still want to watch this. Red Bull. 11 February 2017.
  40. Web site: The Hong Kong urban adventurers for whom nothing is too tall, or deep, or spooky. South China Morning Post. 14 April 2016. 11 February 2017. en.
  41. Meet the Place Hackers. Time (magazine). 11 February 2017.
  42. Web site: Ives. Mike. Using Stealth, and Drones, to Document a Fading Hong Kong. The New York Times. 11 February 2017. 7 February 2017.
  43. Book: Harris. Jesse. The Practical Guide to Ingress: What you really need to know without the extraneous junk. 30 January 2015. Jesse Harris. 11 February 2017. en.
  44. Web site: Why Pokémon Go will surprise you in your own city. Newsweek. 19 July 2016. 11 February 2017. en.
  45. Web site: Pokémon Go - A New Avenue for Urban Exploration » CSBE. Center for the Study of the Built Environment. 11 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091408/http://www.csbe.org/publications-and-resources/articles-and-lectures-on-urbanism/pokemon-go-a-new-avenue-for-urban-exploration/. 12 February 2017. dead.
  46. Web site: Walker. Alissa. 5 Apps That Help You Find Your City's Hidden Gems. Gizmodo. 13 November 2014 . 12 February 2017.
  47. Web site: Abandoned App Leads You to Local Urban Exploration Sites. WebUrbanist. 12 February 2017. 26 February 2013.