Environment
Catacombs Are Making a Comeback
In the face of shrinking space for the dead, Sydney and Jerusalem are building underground cemeteries.
As space dwindles for new burials in urban cemeteries, designers are coming up with solutions for where—and how—to inter the future dead. While some propose high-tech fixes, such as hanging vessels in which decomposing remains generate electricity, others advocate more natural solutions, such as designated spaces where bodies are composted en masse.
In at least two cities, those in the business of the dead are implementing a more historic strategy: building catacombs. In Sydney, the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park is planning to construct Australia’s first catacombs, while in West Jerusalem, an Israeli burial organization and construction firm are already creating a network of almost a dozen tunnels under Har Hamenuchot cemetery.