How can we engage communities? What is empowerment? To what extent should the project process be participatory? How is an outsider-insider relationship handled? How do researchers negotiate with the hegemony of western cultural interpretations? How are organizational and contextual influences handled in a project? What leadership demands do such projects place on researchers? What is capacity building? What are creative leaders and creative communities? How does the researcher journey from their studio to the situation? M(2) Models and Methodologies for Community Engagement discusses key theoretical constructs - community engagement, capacity building, and community empowerment - in order to demonstrate how theory and practice are relevant to the development of forms of community involvement. The book maps the attributes of community based projects by moving beyond simply bringing people together from a variety of disciplines, and taking an approach which is transdisciplinary and applicable across cultures and genres. Here, all people - including the community - are ongoing contributors, and can freely move between their own and others' discipline-specific arenas. M(2) differs from and extends on other works in this field of practice and research, in that its transdisciplinary, collaborative approach positions the community as a particular kind of discipline to create real change in diverse locations and fields of experience. The book is in itself a model of community engagement, as the researchers have formed a community of research and practice for change, and have developed a transformative model for community engagement that is greater than the sum of its parts - hence M(2). M(2) offers a valuable resource for students, researchers, academics, practitioners, policy developers and volunteers from the fields of architecture, interior architecture, health, planning, anthropology, education, home economics, communication, political studies and development studies.

In Europe and other developed countries, much of the population live in small and medium sized towns. For many such places the pursuit of growth is no longer a viable strategic option. As the ability of small towns to compete with larger cities for private investment and government support diminishes, the number trapped in a spiral of long-term decline grows. Beginning with a brief overview of the global context, highlighting that urban shrinkage and decline is a widespread problem, Schlappa and Nishino illustrate how small towns can generate sustainable forward strategies in contrasting institutional contexts by fostering co-production, adjusting public facilities and right sizing the urban area. The analytical tools and practical examples provided by Schlappa and Nishino are relevant for political and administrative decisionmakers, leaders of civil society and business organisations in developing locally appropriate, creative and robust strategies to shrink smart and re-grow smaller.

Academic interest in cycling has burgeoned in recent years with significant literature relating to the health and environmental benefits of cycling, the necessity for cycle-specific infrastructure, and the embodied experiences of cycling. Based upon primary research in a variety of contexts such as London, Shanghai and Taipei, this book demonstrates that recent developments in urban cycling policy and practice are closely linked to broader processes of capital accumulation. It argues that cycling is increasingly caught up in discourses around smart cities that emphasise technological solutions to environmental problems and neoliberal ideas on individual responsibility and bio-political conduct, which only results in solutions that prioritise those who are already mobile. Accordingly, the central argument of the book is not that the popularisation of cycling is inherently bad, but that the manner in which cycling is being popularised gives cause for social and environmental concern. Ultimately the book argues that cycling has now become a vehicle for sustaining pro-growth agendas rather than subverting them or shifting to sustainable no-growth/de-growth and less technologically driven visions of modernity. This book makes an innovative contribution to the fields of Cycling Studies, Mobilities and Transport and will be of interest to students and academics working in Human Geography, Transport Studies, Urban Studies, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Sociology and Sustainability.

This book critically engages with the contemporary challenges and opportunities of wild cities in a climate of change. A key focus of the book is exploring the nexus of possibilities for wild cities and the eco-ethical imagination needed to drive sustainable and resilient urban pathways. Many now have serious doubts about the prospects for humanity to live within cities that are socially just and responsive to planetary limits. Is it possible for planning to better serve, protect and nurture our human and non-human worlds? This book argues it is. Drawing on international literature and Australian case examples, this book explores issues around climate change, colonization, urban (in)security and the rights to the city for both humans and nature. It is within this context that this book focuses on the urgent need to better understand how contemporary cities have changed, and the relational role of planning within it. Planning Wild Cities will be of particular interest to students and scholars of planning, urban studies, and sustainable development, and for all those invested in re-shaping our 'wild' city futures.

Containing some of the most recent and original studies on parking regulation and management from different disciplines, this book offers rigorous analysis from top researchers with a clear intention to deliver policy implications and provide information to the public. The book is organized according to a variety of key topics. Among others, it covers the interaction of parking with other modes of transportation and its demand, its pricing and external effects, the role of information and digitalization, and the effects of regulation and its enforcement. Also, it includes the views of practitioners, who discuss present parking in cities and the future of its management. Written primarily for scholars interested in transportation, mobility, planning and urban affairs, this book is also directly relevant to practitioners and policymakers in government with responsibilities in mobility. Additionally, the book will be of interest to the private sector as it offers a practical link between rigorous academic analyses and the needs of practitioners.

This book provides an empirical analysis of the concept of play as a form of spatial practice in urban public spaces. The introduced City-Play-Framework (CPF) is a practical urban analysis tool that allows urban designers, landscape architects and researchers to develop a shared awareness when opening up this window of possibility for adventure. Two case studies substantiate and illustrate the development process and testing of the framework in Canberra, Australia, and Potsdam, Germany. The appropriation of public spaces that transcend boundaries can facilitate an intrinsic connection between people and their immediate environment, towards a more joyful ontological state of human existence in which imagination, co-creation and a sense of agency are key elements of the design approach. The framework presents an alternative understanding of public spaces and public life, reflecting on theory and its implications for practice in a post-pandemic world in dense urban centres. A bridge between theory and practice, this book explores possibilities on what future design ought to be when openness and ambiguity are consciously integrated parts of practice and process. The book presents a valuable discussion on public space and play for academic audiences across a wide range of disciplines such as landscape architecture, urban design, planning, architecture and urban sociology, which is informative for future practice.

Following the crisis of the Special Period, Cuba promoted urban agriculture throughout its towns and cities to address food sovereignty and security. Through the adoption of state recommended design strategies, these gardens have become places of social and economic exchange throughout Cuba. This book maps the lived experiences surrounding three urban farms in Havana to construct a deeper understanding about the everyday life of this city. Using narratives and drawings, this research uncovers these sites as places where education, intimacy, entrepreneurism, wellbeing, and culture are interwoven alongside food production. Henri Lefebvre's latent work on rhythmanalysis is used as a research method to capture the everyday beats particular to Havana surrounding these sites. This book maps the many ways in which these spaces shift power away from the state to become places that are co-created by the community to serve as a crucial hinge point between the ongoing collapse of the city and its future wellbeing.

By means of multidisciplinary research on urban and rural planning, construction engineering, environmental engineering and engineering sociology, this book conducts pioneering research on the construction theory, construction methods, evaluation technology and application of demonstration projects in China's green villages and towns. The book is divided into three parts and eleven chapters. Part I is about the theory and development of green village and town construction, including the theory and innovation, the evolution and development, the patterns and mechanisms, and the community of green village and town construction. Part II is about the planning and construction methods of green villages and towns, including the plan compilation, the environmental infrastructure construction, and the construction and renovation of green buildings in villages and towns. Part III is about the evaluation of the planning and construction of green villages and towns, including the evaluation of plans, the evaluation of environmental infrastructure construction, the evaluation of green building construction, and the comprehensive evaluation of the planning and construction of green villages and towns. Today, 564 million farmers live in 28,500 towns and 2.452 million villages in China. In 2018 alone, 820 million m2 of new houses were built in rural areas. This proves that China's green village and town construction has great significance and can provide enlightenment to developing countries and even to the world. The book describes new theories, new perspectives and new methods of green village and town sustainable construction in China for overseas experts and readers.

Juval Portugali The notion of complex artificial environments (CAE) refers to theories of c- plexity and self-organization, as well as to artifacts in general, and to artificial - vironments, such as cities, in particular. The link between the two, however, is not trivial. For one thing, the theories of complexity and self-organization originated in the "hard" science and by reference to natural phenomena in physics and bi- ogy. The study of artifacts, per contra, has traditionally been the business of the "soft" disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. The notion of "complex artificial environments" thus implies the supposition that the theories of compl- ity and self-organization, together with the mathematical formalisms and meth- ologies developed for their study, apply beyond the domain of nature. Such a s- st position raises a whole set of questions relating to the nature of 21 century cities and urbanism, to philosophical issues regarding the natural versus the artificial, to the methodological legitimacy of interdisciplinary transfer of theories and me- odologies and to the implications that entail the use of sophisticated, state-of-t- art artifacts such as virtual reality (VR) cities and environments. The three-day workshop on the study of complex artificial environments that took place on the island of San Servolo, Venice, during April 1-3, 2004, was a gathering of scholars engaged in the study of the various aspects of CAE.

This book provides examples and suggestions for readers to understand how public investment decisions for sustainable infrastructure are made. Through detailed analysis of public investment in infrastructure over the last few decades in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Finland, the author explores how the decision-making processes for major public works spending, many of them requiring quite rigorous and detailed computational methodologies, can result in plans that underserve large portions of the population, are inequitable, and fail to efficiently preserve public property. Beginning with some of the commonly offered explanations for the slow pace of investment and repair in a supposedly prosperous society facing serious environmental challenges, the book then explores media's role in shaping the public-at-large's understanding of the situation and the unimaginative solutions put forward by politicians. It continues with some case studies of infrastructure investment, or lack thereof, including an exploration of competing uses for government funds. It concludes with some suggestions. It is aimed at a large readership of professionals, students, and policy makers in political science, urban planning, and civil engineering.

Gentrification is one of the most debilitating-and least understood-issues in American cities today. Scholars and community activists adjoin in Gentrification, Displacement, and Alternative Futures to engage directly and critically with the issue of gentrification and to address its impacts on marginalized, materially exploited, and displaced communities. Authors in this collection begin to unpack and explore the forces that underlie these significant changes in an area's social character and spatial landscape. Central in their analyses is an emphasis on racial formations and class relations, as they each look to find the essence of the urban condition through processes of demographic change, economic restructuring, and gentrification. Their original findings locate gentrification within a carefully integrated theoretical and political framework and challenge readers to look critically at the present and future of gentrification studies. Gentrification, Displacement, and Alternative Futures is a vital read for scholars and researchers, as well as planners and organizers hoping to understand the contemporary changes happening in our urban areas.

This book introduces the fundamentals of research methods and how they apply to the discipline of urban and regional planning. Written at a level appropriate for upper-level undergraduate and beginning master's level students, the text fills a gap in the literature for textbooks on urban planning. Additionally, the book can be used as a reference for planning practitioners and researchers when analyzing quantitative and qualitative data in urban and regional planning and related fields. The volume does not assume advanced knowledge of mathematical formulas. Rather, it begins with the essentials of research methods, such as the identification of the research problems in planning, the literature review, data collection and presentation, descriptive data analysis, and report of findings. Its discipline-specific topics include field research methods, qualitative data analysis, economic and demographic analysis, evaluation research, and methods in sub-disciplines such as land use planning, transportation planning, environmental planning, and housing analysis. Designed with instruction in mind, this book features downloadable materials, including learning outcomes, chapter highlights, chapter review questions, datasets, and certain Excel models. Students will be able to download review questions to enhance the learning process and datasets to practice methods.

This book contains the findings of a study, which examines the potential energy savings available to the Commission of the European Communities through the recovery of selected waste materials. It identifies the principal institutional, operational and technical constraints to further recovery.

The book spans a scientific research program elegantly developed by Roberto Camagni, an eminent regional scientist, who has offered ground-breaking ideas in regional and urban economics throughout his academic career. In addition to bringing together a selection of Professor Camagni's most influential works, the book presents syntheses and interpretations of his ideas by respected colleagues and by his students. In regional economics, space as territory, which plays an active role in innovation processes and in regional growth patterns; territorial capital as a synthetic concept of differentiated regional growth assets; and sources of regional competitiveness are only a few of the main ideas that emerged in regional economics thanks to this inspiring mind. In urban economics, he paved the way towards a new theoretical interpretation of the existence of the city and of its dynamics. His theory of city networks overcame the limits of Christaller's and Loesch's spatial approach to the city, with a solid economic conceptualization of spatial city network structures. All theories are accompanied by sound policy analysis, helping to contribute to the design and implementation of appropriate spatial policies at the European level.

This book provides an integrated view of Atlantic coastal Patagonian ecosystems, including the physical environment, biodiversity and the main ecological processes, together with their derived ecosystem services and anthropogenic impacts. It focuses on the key components of the aquatic ecosystem, covering the lower levels (plankton) to the top predators like large mammals and birds, before turning to human beings as consumers and shapers of coastal marine resources. The book then presents an overview of how organisms that constitute the aquatic food webs have changed through time and how they likely will soon change due to global change processes and anthropogenic pressures. In this regard it offers a wealth of information such as long-term patterns in physical / atmospheric processes, biodiversity and the distribution of marine organisms, as well as the results of experimental studies designed to understand their responses under future scenarios shaped by both climate change and anthropogenic pressures. The book also covers various aspects of the past, present and potential future relationship of human beings with Patagonian coastal environments, including the utilization of sea products, tourism, and growth of cities.

'Cities have been studied and written on from a whole host of unique viewpoints. The contributors of this volume shed light on the city from several perspectives that together constitute the modern singularity of these spaces on Earth. Based on international and cutting-edge research, the content explores critical and sometimes contested issues such as innovation and entrepreneurship, technology, infrastructure, governance and the quality of life of urban inhabitants. The volume brings a clear and refreshing perspective on a fast changing reality.' - Jean-Claude Thill, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, US 'The Rise of the City is a must read for those who want to learn about achieving the promise of cities and urbanisation for society and the well-being of their people. The distinguished group of contributors provides a holistic roadmap about how cities can be economic engines of growth that promote innovation and creativity. This will not be easy as they also identify the challenges that must be overcome including better planning, inclusive governance, and sustainable development.' - Mark Partridge, Ohio State University, US Cities and city regions are growing throughout the world and this trend is forecast to continue well into the 21st century. The authors of The Rise of the City see the next 100 years as being the ''Urban Century''. In this book they examine urban growth and the dynamics that are transforming the city and city regions, focusing specifically on the spatial aspects of this process. Forces that are driving city growth include agglomeration spillovers, concentration of innovation and entrepreneurship, diversity of information and knowledge resources, better amenities and higher wages. These benefits produce a positive reinforcing system that attracts more people with new ideas and information, fuelling innovation, new products and services and more high-wage jobs, thereby attracting more people. Such growth also produces undesirable effects such as air and water pollution, poverty, congestion and crowding. These combined factors both impact and change the geography and spatial dynamics of the city. These transformations and the public policies that may be critical to the quality of life, both today and in the future, are the substance of this book. Providing a more informed synthesis of the city and its dynamics in the new century than any other volume, as well as a set of specific analyses and questions on the changing nature of the city, this book will be indispensible to scholars and students of regional science and urban studies. Contributors: A.E. Andersson, D.E. Andersson, M.G. Boarnet, A.M. Bonomi Barufi, S. Brunow, R. Camagni, R. Capello, A. Caragliu, Z. Chen, Z. Daghbashyan, C.F. Del Bo, R.K. Green, E.A. Haddad, B. Harsman, K.E. Haynes, N. Ishikawa, K. Kourtit, J.P. Larsson, M.M. Mazurencu, V. Miersch, P. Nijkamp, A.R. Olsson, R.R. Stough, M. van Geenhuizen, R.S. Vieira, Y. Wen, H. Westlund, Q. Ye

This book is the first attempt to explore the use and application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and related smart technologies in cities and for the sole purpose of reaching positive peace. The everyday usage of digital technologies in cities encourages us to study the benefits, co-benefits, disadvantages, and threats of ICT application in cities and urban environments. The continuous growth of digital technologies and their growing demand in everyday urban practices and systems are already known to scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers. However, this book explores whether or not such applications and usage help us reaching positive peace. This approach is novel in the field of urban studies, allowing us to identify and highlight best practices, successes, and failures of ICT application to meet positive peace pillars. The scope of the book highlights our focus on positive peace and its eight pillars, mainly how they are meant to be achieved in cities and urban areas. With an analytical view on the topic, we aim to reflect on the systematic features of urban systems, using positive peace pillars as the primary targets. We believe ICT application and usage in cities could be more directive and beneficial to reach peace and prosperity to achieve such a goal. Therefore, this book provides a holistic guideline and coverage of ICT use for positive peace pathways and peace-building practices. We hope the findings of the book help researchers and policy-makers to come up with novel and integrated strategies, ensuring that our everyday usage of digital technologies, ICT, and smart tools, are more meaningful and people-oriented.

What should a metropolis for working women look like? A city of friendships beyond Sex and the City. A transit system that accommodates mothers with strollers on the school run. A public space with enough toilets. A place where women can walk without harassment. Through history, personal experience and popular culture Leslie Kern exposes what is hidden in plain sight: the social inequalities are built into our cities, homes, and neighbourhoods. She maps the city from new vantage points, laying out a feminist intersectional approach to urban histories and proposes that the city is perhaps also our best hope for shaping a new urban future. It is time to dismantle what we take for granted about cities and to ask how we can build more just, sustainable, and care-full cities together.

Understudied relative to other forms of intentional community, and under-recognized in policy-making circles, urban cohousing communities situate wellbeing as simultaneously social and subjective, while catering for groups of people so diverse in age. Collaborative Happiness looks at two such urban cohousing communities: Kankanmori, in Tokyo; and Quayside Village, in Vancouver. In expanding beyond mainstream approaches to happiness focused exclusively on the individual, Quayside Village and Kankanmori provide an alternative model for how to understand and practice the good life in an increasingly urbanized world marked by crisis of both social and environmental sustainability.

1. . Easy-to-grasp way of thinking. The four measures of sustainable urbanism presented provide a holistic framework for thinking through the basic forms of infrastructure that cities must provide: Water and Waste, Food, Shelter, Energy, and Mobility. 2. Structure of the book. Each measure is presented in a separate chapter. Each of these are separated into two components: an overview and a more detailed presentation of information in an encyclopaedia format 3. Concluding 'matrix' checklist. After presenting the four measures and their relations to types of infrastructure in the body of the text, the conclusion will revise the singlepage matrix presented in the introduction as a checklist for thinking through problems of sustainable development.

Efficient waste management is crucial for a sustainable future. However, due to population growth and the threat of global climate change, systems of urban waste management are under increasing pressure. For the waste sector, the prospect of transitioning to a circular economy presents an opportunity to promote organizational changes and improve performance, as well as contribute to a more sustainable world. Through the examination of case studies of municipalities and waste management firms across Europe, this book provides an overview of the most innovative best practices in urban waste management. The authors analyze the development and results of collection methods, tariff-setting systems, collaborations with partners and providers, recycling policies, and employees' and stakeholders' engagement programs. Given the complexity of urban waste management procedures, analysis is multidisciplinary, encompassing management, environmental and sociological perspectives. Providing an overview of opportunities for knowledge sharing and transfer among firms and municipalities to help them promote best practice, this book is a valuable reference for managers and policy makers in urban waste management.

This book describes the risks, impacts, measures, actions and adaptation policies that have developed globally as a result of the severe impacts of global climate change. In-depth chapters focus on climate change assessment (CCA) in terms of vulnerabilities and reflection on the built environment and measures and actions for infrastructure and urban areas. Adaptation actions specific to developing countries such as Egypt are presented and illustrated. Global Climate change adaptation projects (CCAPs) in developing countries, in terms of their targets and performance, are presented and compared with those existing CCAPs in Egypt to draw learned lessons. Climate change scenarios 2080 using simulations are portrayed and discussed with emphasis on a case-study model from existing social housing projects in hot-arid urban areas in Cairo; in an effort to put forward an assessment and evaluation of current CCA techniques. This book helps researchers realize the global impacts of climate change on the built environment and economic sectors, and enhances their understanding of current climate change measures, actions, policies, projects and scenarios. Reviews and illustrates the impact of global climate change risks; Provides an understanding of global climate change risks in seven continents; Illustrates policies and action plans implemented at the global level and developing countries' level; Discusses climate change assessment and vulnerabilities with emphasis on urban areas; Presents measures and action plans to mitigate climate change scenarios by 2080.

The past decade has seen substantial progress towards the development of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs). Accompanying the technological developments, there has been much dialogue around the potential for CAVs to help solve a range of economic, social, and environmental issues. Some of CAVs purported benefits include, for example, greater efficiency in the use of existing transport infrastructure, improved safety through removing human error, and widening access to automobility. However, there are also many potential downsides, and whether and how CAVs will deliver on their promise remains shrouded in much uncertainty and not a small degree of scepticism. This book views developments around CAVs through the lens of local policymakers and the towns and cities they represent. We argue it is now time to expand the dialogue to include consideration for towns and cities beyond those early adopters to understand how they will fare, and how CAVs might interact with other important policy agendas facing them. We discuss the different challenges that CAVs will pose for the urban built environment and the required forms of preparedness for these. We also explore how CAVs will interact with other uses and users of cities, including potentially competing efforts to enhance urban wellbeing and liveability. Finally, we consider how responses to CAVs are being developed and what the implications of these are. This book will appeal to policymakers, practitioners, and academics interested in the potential impacts of CAVs and in understanding more about how they will shape and interact with cities and regions in the near future.

The book focuses on the relationship between nature conservation policies and landscape policies. This is a relevant subject due to the current need of reviving nature conservation policies, which are today affected by a general effectiveness deficiency. To this end, landscape policies can play a crucial role, bridging nature and culture, fostering more integrated approaches to nature conservation and stimulating the active participation of local communities. The book gathers reflections, researches and experiences developed on an international level on this subject by experts coming from different international contexts (Europe, U.S.A.), various disciplinary backgrounds (geographers, planners, biologists, historians, jurists, economists, etc.) and several institutional bodies (Universities, administrative bodies, international organizations such as IUCN, EUROPARC Federation, UNESCO, etc.). The overall reflections gathered in the book - which is divided in three main sections: regulations and institutional frameworks, policies, actions and tools - combine to suggest innovative visions about the relationships between nature policies and landscape policies.