What's Under Your Feet in New York City?

Summary by Krater

An architectural and engineering overview of the massive network of underground infrastructure in New York City, explaining how water, electricity, steam, gas, telecommunications, and transit systems are laid out, maintained, and operated beneath the streets.

From the video

Answers: What is the underground infrastructure of New York City and how does it work?

• New York City underground infrastructure
• water distribution and water mains
• underground electrical grid systems
• steam heating networks
• natural gas distribution
• telecommunications conduits
• subway tunnel engineering
• sewer and stormwater management

What it concludes

• New York City's water distribution system is gravity-fed with source water coming from upstate at a higher elevation.
• Roughly 85% of electrical lines in New York City are underground.
• Most urban areas use a radial system for distributing electricity, but New York City operates about 70 separate secondary networks.
• Con Edison maintains two underground power grids: one for feeders between 13,000 and 27,000 volts, and one for low-voltage service.
• New York City operates the largest steam heating network in the world, serving about 1,500 customers.
• Shutting down a steam pipe changes its temperature by roughly 300 degrees Fahrenheit or 170 degrees Celsius, requiring expansion loops or slip joints to handle movement.