This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Two trends come together in the world's cities to make urban sustainability a critical issue today. First, greater and greater numbers of people are living in urban areas-and are projected to do so for the foreseeable future. Additionally, cities contribute to climate change in a significant way and must make systemic changes to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects. Urban planners face serious challenges in enhancing sustainability but also have an important set of tools available for creating innovative solutions. This book adds to the conversation about the place of urban planning in the creation and maintenance of sustainable cities.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This book presents the latest research on resilience strategies around the world. Research such as this is necessary to create new ideas and to evaluate established ones in an effort to make communities more adaptable and to increase people's survival and quality of life while living with the reality of climate change. The book offers definitions of resilience and various ways of measuring it, since resilience is still a concept in transition. It also describes general strategies for increasing communities' resilience at multiple levels, then dives into specific dimensions of resilience, tying it to energy infrastructure and systems and public health.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. With increasing global urbanization, the environments and ecologies of cities are often perceived to suffer. While pollution and destruction of green space and species may occur, cities also remain part of natural systems. Cities provide natural processes necessary for survival for humans and other living organisms in urban areas. Urban ecology elucidates some of these processes and sheds light on their importance to healthy, fulfilling urban livelihoods. Urban Ecology: Strategies for Green Infrastructure and Land Use provides background on issues relating to urban ecology and urban natural processes. The first section covers the types, values, and recognition of ecosystem services provided by natural processes in urban areas. The second section details the importance and potential of green spaces in urban areas. The third section focuses on biodiversity traits of cities, and the ways in which urbanization affects biodiversity indicators. Finally, the fourth section covers some of the tools and approaches available for urban planners and designers concerned with improving or maintaining urban environments and the services they provide. This easily accessible reference volume offers a comprehensive guide to this rapidly growing field. Case studies and up-to-date research provide urban planners with new options for creating cities that will meet the demands of the twenty-first century. Also appropriate for graduate students who are preparing for careers related to urban planning, this compendium captures and integrates the current work being done in this vitally important field.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Organic practices are quickly redefining how agriculture is done around the world, as we come to realize how detrimental conventional agriculture is to local and global environments and economies. This book serves as an overview of some of the important topics in organic agriculture. The volume is broken into several sections which explore the effects of organic practices on crop productivity, the use of biofertilizers, plant cultivars, and compare the environmental impact with conventional agriculture. Also covered are the following topics: *Organic agriculture as a strategy to combat many of the negative effects of conventional agriculture, such as pollution and loss of soil fertility *How practices, such as the use of biofertilizers, can enhance plant growth over the use of chemical fertilizers *Vermicompost and the high potential to benefit land in agricultural use *Organic practices' associations with increased soil fertility, increased biodiversity, and greenhouse gas sequestration *The negative effects of organic agriculture practices, such as an increase in nitrogen pollution or pests This easily accessible reference volume offers a comprehensive guide to this rapidly expanding field. Edited by an experienced writer with experience in both food systems and agricultural sociology, Organic Agricultural Practices: Alternatives to Conventional Agricultural Systems is an authoritative and easy-to-use reference, ideal for both researchers in the field and students who wish to gain an overview to this important field of study.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Agriculture is one of the prime users of water, particularly in arid places with already-limited water resources, and its effects are diverse and far reaching. Providing a nuanced study of agricultural resource management, this informative book takes a four-pronged approach, covering research on: * The impact of agriculture on water * The impact of agriculture on soil quality and its ecological health * Energy and greenhouse gases * The impact of a growing population on agricultural resources Topics include the connection between chemical fertilizer use in agriculture and stream water quality; beef and dairy production on livestock, dairy, and crops; livestock and greenhouse gases; energy consumption rates in agriculture; efficient farming techniques, such as precision agriculture, irrigation management, and sustainable water technologies; and more. This informative and accessible volume offers a comprehensive guide to this vital and necessary field of study.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This important compilation presents an in-depth view spanning past values and practices, present understandings, and potential futures, and covering a range of concrete case studies on sustainable development of organic agriculture. The book explores the very different facets of organic and sustainable agriculture. Part I of this book delves into the ways that people have approached organic agriculture in sociological, scientific, and economic terms. Part II looks ahead to the future of organic agriculture, presenting opportunities for further progress. Part III consists of an extensive bibliography chronologically developing the progress of organic and sustainable agriculture over two thousand years. The book Studies the cultural dimension of organic consumption Presents how sustainable agriculture can reduce and mitigate the impact of climate change on crop production Looks at the impact of agriculture on both famine and rural poverty in an ecofriendly and socially inclusive manner Examines six of the oldest grain-crop-based organic comparison experiments in the US, looking at the environmental and economic outcomes from organic agroecosystems, to both producers and policymakers Reviews the role of experimentation and innovation in developing sustainable organic agriculture Looks at the challenges of organic farmers Discusses ways to ensure sustainability and resilience of farming Looks at ways to change the mindset of farmers especially in traditional farming communities Explores the development of organic and sustainable agriculture through more than 500 years, ending with the early twenty-first century. Altogether, the chapters provide a nuanced look at the development of organic and sustainable agriculture, with the conclusion that organic is not enough to be sustainable.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. With increasing global urbanization, the environments and ecologies of cities are often perceived to suffer. While pollution and destruction of green space and species may occur, cities also remain part of natural systems. Cities provide natural processes necessary for survival for humans and other living organisms in urban areas. Urban ecology elucidates some of these processes and sheds light on their importance to healthy, fulfilling urban livelihoods. Urban Ecology: Strategies for Green Infrastructure and Land Use provides background on issues relating to urban ecology and urban natural processes. The first section covers the types, values, and recognition of ecosystem services provided by natural processes in urban areas. The second section details the importance and potential of green spaces in urban areas. The third section focuses on biodiversity traits of cities, and the ways in which urbanization affects biodiversity indicators. Finally, the fourth section covers some of the tools and approaches available for urban planners and designers concerned with improving or maintaining urban environments and the services they provide. This easily accessible reference volume offers a comprehensive guide to this rapidly growing field. Case studies and up-to-date research provide urban planners with new options for creating cities that will meet the demands of the twenty-first century. Also appropriate for graduate students who are preparing for careers related to urban planning, this compendium captures and integrates the current work being done in this vitally important field.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Agriculture is one of the prime users of water, particularly in arid places with already-limited water resources, and its effects are diverse and far reaching. Providing a nuanced study of agricultural resource management, this informative book takes a four-pronged approach, covering research on: * The impact of agriculture on water * The impact of agriculture on soil quality and its ecological health * Energy and greenhouse gases * The impact of a growing population on agricultural resources Topics include the connection between chemical fertilizer use in agriculture and stream water quality; beef and dairy production on livestock, dairy, and crops; livestock and greenhouse gases; energy consumption rates in agriculture; efficient farming techniques, such as precision agriculture, irrigation management, and sustainable water technologies; and more. This informative and accessible volume offers a comprehensive guide to this vital and necessary field of study.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Two trends come together in the world's cities to make urban sustainability a critical issue today. First, greater and greater numbers of people are living in urban areas-and are projected to do so for the foreseeable future. Additionally, cities contribute to climate change in a significant way and must make systemic changes to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects. Urban planners face serious challenges in enhancing sustainability but also have an important set of tools available for creating innovative solutions. This book adds to the conversation about the place of urban planning in the creation and maintenance of sustainable cities.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. As we realize the ways in which our food systems contribute and respond to climate change, sustainable agriculture becomes increasingly crucial. It is a complicated, multi-dimensional issue, which should be considered from a variety of angles. This compendium includes the perspectives of science, economics, sociology, and policy. The editor and contributors present an international and comprehensive perspective that examines the concept of sustainability as it applies to the food supply chain from farm to fork.

This compendium volume, Urban Land Use: Community-Based Planning, covers a range of land use planning and community engagement issues. Part I explores the connections between land use decisions and consequences for urban residents, particularly in the areas of health and health equity. The chapters in Part II provide a closer look at community land use planning practice in several case studies. Part III offers several practical and innovative tools for integrating community decisions into land use planning.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Urban planners around the world are increasingly concerned with creating and maintaining cities that are healthy for both the environment and for individuals. Cities are at the forefront of the trend toward sustainable living, since they are the site of concentrated population, resource use, and greenhouse gas emissions, yet also have the tools and the resources to address climate change and environmental degradation. Part of the modern urban planner's challenge is to impact individual behavior on a systemic, urban scale, since sustainable cities are made up of systems that encourage sustainable behavior. The articles chosen for this compendium cover many aspects of urban living on this individual yet systematic scale. Included are chapters that focus on: How individuals, households, and cities use resources and create greenhouse gas emissions How urban resources can be expanded to include waste streams Options for measuring and encouraging sustainable transportation Cities' renewable and non-renewable energy demands Sustainable housing solutions Case studies and up-to-date research provide urban planners with new options for creating cities that will meet the demands of the twenty-first century. Also appropriate for graduate students who are preparing for careers related to urban planning, this compendium captures and integrates the current work being done in this vitally important field.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This book presents the latest research on resilience strategies around the world. Research such as this is necessary to create new ideas and to evaluate established ones in an effort to make communities more adaptable and to increase people's survival and quality of life while living with the reality of climate change. The book offers definitions of resilience and various ways of measuring it, since resilience is still a concept in transition. It also describes general strategies for increasing communities' resilience at multiple levels, then dives into specific dimensions of resilience, tying it to energy infrastructure and systems and public health.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. As we realize the ways in which our food systems contribute and respond to climate change, sustainable agriculture becomes increasingly crucial. It is a complicated, multi-dimensional issue, which should be considered from a variety of angles. This compendium includes the perspectives of science, economics, sociology, and policy. The editor and contributors present an international and comprehensive perspective that examines the concept of sustainability as it applies to the food supply chain from farm to fork.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Organic practices are quickly redefining how agriculture is done around the world, as we come to realize how detrimental conventional agriculture is to local and global environments and economies. This book serves as an overview of some of the important topics in organic agriculture. The volume is broken into several sections which explore the effects of organic practices on crop productivity, the use of biofertilizers, plant cultivars, and compare the environmental impact with conventional agriculture. Also covered are the following topics: *Organic agriculture as a strategy to combat many of the negative effects of conventional agriculture, such as pollution and loss of soil fertility *How practices, such as the use of biofertilizers, can enhance plant growth over the use of chemical fertilizers *Vermicompost and the high potential to benefit land in agricultural use *Organic practices' associations with increased soil fertility, increased biodiversity, and greenhouse gas sequestration *The negative effects of organic agriculture practices, such as an increase in nitrogen pollution or pests This easily accessible reference volume offers a comprehensive guide to this rapidly expanding field. Edited by an experienced writer with experience in both food systems and agricultural sociology, Organic Agricultural Practices: Alternatives to Conventional Agricultural Systems is an authoritative and easy-to-use reference, ideal for both researchers in the field and students who wish to gain an overview to this important field of study.

This compendium volume, Urban Land Use: Community-Based Planning, covers a range of land use planning and community engagement issues. Part I explores the connections between land use decisions and consequences for urban residents, particularly in the areas of health and health equity. The chapters in Part II provide a closer look at community land use planning practice in several case studies. Part III offers several practical and innovative tools for integrating community decisions into land use planning.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Urban planners around the world are increasingly concerned with creating and maintaining cities that are healthy for both the environment and for individuals. Cities are at the forefront of the trend toward sustainable living, since they are the site of concentrated population, resource use, and greenhouse gas emissions, yet also have the tools and the resources to address climate change and environmental degradation. Part of the modern urban planner's challenge is to impact individual behavior on a systemic, urban scale, since sustainable cities are made up of systems that encourage sustainable behavior. The articles chosen for this compendium cover many aspects of urban living on this individual yet systematic scale. Included are chapters that focus on: How individuals, households, and cities use resources and create greenhouse gas emissions How urban resources can be expanded to include waste streams Options for measuring and encouraging sustainable transportation Cities' renewable and non-renewable energy demands Sustainable housing solutions Case studies and up-to-date research provide urban planners with new options for creating cities that will meet the demands of the twenty-first century. Also appropriate for graduate students who are preparing for careers related to urban planning, this compendium captures and integrates the current work being done in this vitally important field.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This important compilation presents an in-depth view spanning past values and practices, present understandings, and potential futures, and covering a range of concrete case studies on sustainable development of organic agriculture. The book explores the very different facets of organic and sustainable agriculture. Part I of this book delves into the ways that people have approached organic agriculture in sociological, scientific, and economic terms. Part II looks ahead to the future of organic agriculture, presenting opportunities for further progress. Part III consists of an extensive bibliography chronologically developing the progress of organic and sustainable agriculture over two thousand years. The book Studies the cultural dimension of organic consumption Presents how sustainable agriculture can reduce and mitigate the impact of climate change on crop production Looks at the impact of agriculture on both famine and rural poverty in an ecofriendly and socially inclusive manner Examines six of the oldest grain-crop-based organic comparison experiments in the US, looking at the environmental and economic outcomes from organic agroecosystems, to both producers and policymakers Reviews the role of experimentation and innovation in developing sustainable organic agriculture Looks at the challenges of organic farmers Discusses ways to ensure sustainability and resilience of farming Looks at ways to change the mindset of farmers especially in traditional farming communities Explores the development of organic and sustainable agriculture through more than 500 years, ending with the early twenty-first century. Altogether, the chapters provide a nuanced look at the development of organic and sustainable agriculture, with the conclusion that organic is not enough to be sustainable.