A highly-illustrated, pocket-sized guide to understanding the forces that have shaped the world's cities from the dawn of civilisation to the present day. The fortunes of towns and cities rise and fall along with the fate of the civilisations to which they belong. Some are lost entirely, now no more than ruins; others have thrived as urban centres for millennia; and all contain vital clues embedded in their streets and skylines which reveal why their inhabitants grouped together, and tell of their unique social, political and cultural histories. Packed with plans, maps, and drawings, this book takes you on an international journey of discovery to explore the history of cities from our earliest urban origins to the contemporary world city - from Babylon to Beijing, London to Paris, and from the skyscrapers of New York to the streets of their own home town. A must-read for anyone interested in history, cities, and travel, this fascinating book turns you into an urban detective to see how our towns and cities grew the way they are.

Earth Observation for Flood Applications: Progress and Perspectives describes the latest scientific advances in Earth Observation. With recent floods around the world becoming ever more devastating, there is a need for better science enabling more effective solutions at a fast pace. This book aims at stretching from the current flood mapping to diverse real data so as to estimate the flood risk and damage. Earth Observation for Flood Applications: Progress and Perspectives includes three parts containing each a separate but complementary topic area under floods. Each chapter unfolds various applications, case studies, and illustrative graphics. In terms of flood mapping and monitoring, the usage of multi-sensor satellite data, web-services information, microwave remote sensing methods are discussed in depth. So, this book is a valuable resource for scientists, researchers, and students in the area of earth observation.

International Environmental Cooperation and the Global Sustainability Capital Framework offers an integrated analysis of international environmental cooperation (IEC) and global sustainability. From a strategic management perspective, the book develops the Sustainability Capital Framework for IEC and global sustainability. The book provides an in-depth examination of the significance of state participation in international environmental agreements (IEAs), and analyzes the structure, life cycle, and evolution of IEAs. Through the Sustainability Capital Framework, the book delineates the core drivers, barriers, incentives, and critical success factors for IEC and global sustainability.

This insightful book provides an astute analysis of how resilient multiple regional economies across Europe were to the global economic crisis of 2008-9. Assessing the impact and geography of the crisis, this book offers a cross-comparative study of how regional economies were affected, as well as an exploration of the role of local and regional policy in influencing economic resilience. The different experiences seen across Europe throughout the economic crisis raise a number of important questions: why were some regions more resilient to the crisis than others? What is meant when discussing a resilient economy? How might local and regional policy-makers help support the resilience of their economies? The expert contributors take these crucial questions into account, presenting detailed case studies using quantitative and qualitative research data to analyse how the crisis affected various European regions. Economic Crisis and the Resilience of Regions will be an essential read for academics, researchers, and policymakers interested in the concept of regional economic resilience, its measurement, and the factors influencing it, as well as for analysts interested in the geographical impact of the 2008-9 global economic crisis. Contributors include: G. Bristow, A. Healy, C. Kakderi, L. Kirchner, F. Koch, G. Masik, I. Sagan, M. Sensier, V. Sepp, D. Speda, U. Varblane, U. Varblane, R. Wink

Maps and mapping are fundamentally political. Whether they are authoritarian, hegemonic, participatory or critical, they are most often guided by the desire to have control over space, and always involve power relations. This book takes stock of the knowledge acquired and the debates conducted in the field of critical cartography over some thirty years. The Politics of Mapping includes analyses of recent semiological, social and technological innovations in the production and use of maps and, more generally, geographical information. The chapters are the work of specialists in the field, in the form of a thematic analysis, a theoretical essay, or a reflection on a professional, scientific or militant practice. From mapping issues for modern states to the digital and big data era, from maps produced by Indigenous peoples or migrant-advocacy organizations in Europe, the perspectives are both historical and contemporary.