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Urban exploration (often shortened asurbex and sometimes known asroof 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 calleddraining (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, ormousing.
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 encounteringsquatters. Some activities associated with urban exploration may violate local or regional laws, certain broadly interpretedanti-terrorism laws, or can be considered trespassing or invasion of privacy. Encounteringsquatters, who are unauthorized occupants in abandoned or unmonitored properties, can lead to unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations.
Urban exploration in its organized form has been traced to the Suicide Club,[7] a San Francisco–based group founded in 1977. The group engaged in activities such as exploring abandoned or restricted urban environments, street theater, and immersive role-playing events.[8] Although active for only five years,[9] the Suicide Club is regarded as one of the earliest organized groups to pursue exploration of the urban landscape as a recreational and social activity.
Ventures into abandoned structures are perhaps the most common example of urban exploration. Many sites are entered first by locals and may havegraffiti or other kinds ofvandalism, while others are better preserved. Although targets of exploration vary from one country to another, high-profile abandonments includeamusement parks,grain elevators,factories,power plants,fallout shelters,hospitals,asylums,prisons,schools, outmoded and abandonedskyscrapers,poor houses, andsanatoriums.
In Japan, abandoned infrastructure is known ashaikyo (廃墟) (literally "ruins"), and the term is synonymous with the practice of urban exploration.[10]Haikyo are particularly common in Japan because of its rapid industrialization (e.g.,Hashima Island), damage duringWorld War II, the1980s real estate bubble, and natural disasters such as the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[11]
InBosnia and Herzegovina, a large underground facility abandoned since 1992 isŽeljava Air Base, situated under theGola Plješevica mountain, near the city ofBihać. It was the largestundergroundairport andmilitary air base in theSFR 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 1990sBosnian War.[12][13][14]
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 theinfrastructure of the formerUSSR.[15]
Abandoned sites are also popular amonghistorians,preservationists,architects,archaeologists,industrial archaeologists,ghost hunters and notably,photographers.[16][17]
Another aspect of urban exploration is the practice of exploring active orin 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, andcivil prosecution may result. One notable instance of the urban exploration of active buildings occurred in 2007, when the French urban exploration grouples UX carried out a clandestine operation to repair and restore thePanthéon's clock, which had stood inoperable for several decades. The group were able to conduct the repair work in secret, having infiltrated the building and set up a workshop inside a cavity under the Panthéon's dome.[18]
Catacombs such as those found inParis,[19]Rome,Odessa, andNaples have been investigated by urban explorers. Some consider theMines 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 ascataphiles.
Entry intostorm drains, or "draining", is another common form of urban exploration. Groups devoted to the task have arisen, such as theCave Clan and Darkside inAustralia. 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 entersanitary 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 (commonlymethane,hydrogen sulfide, orcarbon dioxide). Sewers can contain viruses,bacteria,protozoa, andparasitic worms. Protective equipment is recommended for people who enter sewers.[20]
Exploring active and abandoned subway and railway tunnels, bores, andstations 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 abandonedsubway of Rochester, New York, the only American city with an abandoned subway system that was once operational. TheCincinnati subway is also abandoned but was never completed.London has a number of stations on theLondon Underground network that have been closed over the years, withAldwych tube station a popular location for explorers.
Universities, and other large institutions, such as hospitals, often distribute hazardoussuperheated steam for heating or cooling buildings from acentral 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 theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, but students there now call itroof and tunnel hacking.
Some steam tunnels have dirt floors, poor lighting and temperatures above 45 °C (113 °F). 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 airborneasbestos, 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.
The rise in urban exploration's popularity can be attributed to increased media attention. Recent television shows such asUrban Explorers on theDiscovery Channel,MTV's Fear, and theGhost Hunting exploits ofThe Atlantic Paranormal Society have packaged the hobby for a popular audience. The fictional filmAfter... (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 sixthHackers on Planet Earth Conference, complementing numerous newspaper articles and interviews.
Another source of popular information isCities of the Underworld, a documentary series that ran for three seasons on theHistory 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.[21]
With the rise in the hobby's popularity, there has been increasing discussion of whether the extra attention has been beneficial.[22]
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 includetrespassing andbreaking and entering,[23][24] have had critical attention in mainstream newspapers.[25] Sometimes, security or police of buildings can let explorers off with a warning, but can differ depending if explorers have caused destruction or fires.
InAustralia, lawyers for the Roads and Traffic Authority ofNew South Wales shut down the SydneyCave Clan's website after they raised concerns that the portal could "risk human safety and threaten the security of its infrastructure".[25] Another website belonging to the Bangor Explorers Guild was criticized by theMaine State Police for encouraging behavior that "could get someone hurt or killed".[25]Toronto Police, who have called for an "end" to rooftop photography in 2016, citing similar concerns about the possibility of death or injury.[26] TheToronto Transit Commission has used the Internet to crimp subway tunnel explorations, going as far as to send investigators to various explorers' homes.[25]
Jeff Chapman, who authoredInfiltration, writes that genuine urban explorers "never vandalize, steal or damage anything". The thrill comes from "discovery and a few nice pictures".[25] Some explorers also request permission for entry in advance.[27]
Storm drains are not designed with human access as their primary use and can be subject toflash flooding and poor air quality.
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 notablyasbestos). Other risks include freely roamingguard dogs and hostilesquatters. Some abandoned locations may be heavily guarded bymotion detectors and active security patrols, while others are more easily accessible and carry less risk of discovery.[28]
| Date | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| June 2008 |  Toronto, Canada | A 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.[29] |
| 26 April 2009 |  Saint Paul, United States | A 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.[30][31] |
| June 2013 |  Neman, Russia | It is thought that a 9-year-old boy fell 6 metres (20 ft) from a spiral staircase to the ground inside the ruins ofRagnit Castle and died from his injuries.[32][33] |
| 21 March 2015 |  Brisbane, Australia | A man was kayaking through a storm water drain when he became trapped by rising water from heavy rain and drowned.[34] |
| May 2016 | Fremantle, Western Australia | A 24-year-old man fell to his death following a floor collapse in theSouth Fremantle Power Station.[35] |
| 12 January 2017 |  La Mulatière, France | An 18-year-old boy was on Mulatière railway bridge taking photos, when he fell from the bridge and died.[36] |
| October 2017 | Chicago, United States | A Memphis photographer and urban explorer died after a 14-story fall off a hotel inChicago while trespassing.[37] |
| June 2018 | Philadelphia, United States | A 30-year-old photographer and urban explorer died inPhiladelphia after being swept away in a flash flood while exploring a storm drain.[38] |
| August 2019 | Yekaterinburg, Russia | A 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.[39][40] |
| July 2020 |  Totnes, United Kingdom | A 22-year-old man died after falling from the roof of an abandoned factory.[41] |
| September 2021 | Moscow, Russia | A 34-year-old YouTuber suffered a fatal fall while filming a YouTube video in an abandoned building inMoscow.[42] |
Rooftopping and skywalking are the ascents of rooftops, cranes, antennas, smokestacks, etc., usually illegally, to get anadrenaline rush and takeselfie 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.[43] Rooftopping has been especially popular inRussia.[44]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.
Media related toUrban exploration at Wikimedia Commons
Urban exploration travel guide from Wikivoyage