Tubedwellers

Tubedwellers is a term used in speculative fiction and urban folklore to describe a hypothetical community that inhabits the networks of water tubes, sewers, and drainage conduits beneath cities. In fictional depictions, tubedwellers construct shelters inside tube wells or along maintenance corridors, using scavenged materials and improvised lighting, ventilation, and waste systems.

Etymology and scope: The name derives from tube and well, reflecting subterranean homes. The concept is not attested as a real population; it is a narrative device used to explore urban spaces and human adaptation.

Lifestyle and society: Tubedwellers are portrayed as small, itinerant groups with informal leadership and strong ties of mutual aid. Dwellings may be distributed across a network of passages and tunnels, with norms that emphasize deference to water cycles and cautious navigation of tight spaces.

Technology and economy: They rely on scavenged tools, simple mechanical devices, and makeshift lighting. Their economy is commonly described as barter-based or gift-based, centered on exchanging food, tools, and information recovered from the city’s underbelly. They face hazards such as flooding, poor air quality, and structural instability.

Cultural footprint: In contemporary media, tubedwellers appear in novels, comics, and games as enigmatic figures illustrating resilience and marginalization. Scholarly discussions treat the concept as a thought experiment about urban space, coexistence, and the ethics of subterranean environments. They are widely regarded as fictional rather than a real community.