An analytical model for ventilation and heat transfer in one typical urban utility tunnel (UUT) section in Suzhou was developed in order to aid the design and optimization of the ventilation system of the UUT for reduction in ventilation energy. The model includes the heat transfer among neighboring cabins, the conjugate heat transfer at the tunnel walls, and the thickness of the overlaying soil layer. The analytical model was validated by comparing it with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Results show that the internal heat source, ventilation, and soil temperature are the most important factors on cabin temperature, with the inter-cabin heat transfer a minor factor. The minimum ventilation rate to prevent over-heating of cabins is strongly dependent on the heat source strength, the inlet temperature (atmospheric temperature), and the soil temperature. Therefore, the minimum ventilation rate of UUT in other areas should be calculated according to the local meteorological conditions and the actual heat source intensity of the tunnel. The minimum ventilation rates, in air change rate, of the fully loaded cable cabin and the steam pipe cabin were 10 h^?1 and 5 h^?1, respectively, in the test section of UUT in Suzhou area. The minimum ventilation rate specified in the current code for UUT can meet the temperature control requirement for cabins without any heat sources. A similar analytical modelling approach can be used to analyze the ventilation requirement for UUT with other layouts of cabins.