Underground housing, underground businesses, etc. Would that be better for the environment + possibly save on energy costs? Also possibly safer in certain scenarios like tornadoes etc.
Potential issues that immediately come to mind are ventilation, earthquakes, and flooding. But it’s not like underground dwellings/basements/etc. aren’t a thing, so maybe those issues have been addressed in ways I’m not familiar with.
OP, have you ever planted a bush? After a rain?
Digging. Is. Hard.
It’s expensive.
And stuff down there gets wet.
Also, studies have shown that “enclosed” living is psychologically problematic, at least for a majority of people. This is why rooms where people live/work for extended periods have windows, and why above-ground buildings always have copious exterior walls for them, even when a “cube” would be more space efficient.
Also, having grown up in tornado alley myself, tornadoes aren’t as big a deal as you think. Their area of impact is very small; odds are, you’ll never get hit by one. I’ve never even seen one up close.
Hurricanes. Now those are a big deal. I’ve seen 2 Cat 4s, and some smaller ones, real close. Live in the tropics, and it’s not a matter of if, but when they will come raging by, and living underground is the absolute worst possible scenario (as the biggest danger with them is flooding).
Huh, I guess I’ve been lucky only lived in tornado alley for 15-20 years, and in just a 7 year span I saw multiple F-0 to F-1s, what I’m pretty sure was an F-3, and a confirmed F-4. I’d rather deal with earthquakes and high housing costs, than ever see one of those terrors again. Thankfully no where I lived got hit directly, as you said their impact is small, but terrifying for a couple mile radius.