a small liberal arts college I attended did that for the campus both heat and cold. they ran them under the sidewalks such that in the winter it also melted the snow although now that I think of it that was likely wasting cold water in the summer if the heat could keep the sidewalks at 35 degrees or such.
TL;DR: it’s like central AC for the whole neighborhood and it’s more efficient
The technology in question is underground pipes full of cold water.
a small liberal arts college I attended did that for the campus both heat and cold. they ran them under the sidewalks such that in the winter it also melted the snow although now that I think of it that was likely wasting cold water in the summer if the heat could keep the sidewalks at 35 degrees or such.