Worldwide, the use of underground space has been increasingly recognized as part of the solution to creating sustainable urban development. In Singapore, underground space has been elevated to a strategic level when the government announced that underground space development will form part of the economic strategies for Singapore's future development.

The main theme for ACUUS 2012 Singapore is "Underground Space Development – Opportunities and Challenges." This theme was chosen to emphasize the unprecedented opportunities for simultaneously improving urban infrastructure and urban livability while at the same time recognizing the special challenges faced in creating underground spaces – both from a human design perspective and in terms of technical and cost challenges. Equally important is the need to move from the creation of underground facilities as a haphazard, first-come first served network of structures to a well-planned use of underground space that can serve the needs of urban areas for future generations as well as our own.