This book examines fundamental issues of macro-engineering from the viewpoints of psychiatry, management, and law. It describes a general theory to guide future decisions on large-scale projects and programs, and discusses the cases in the context of a set of public-interest guidelines.

This book offers fresh perspectives and innovative thinking of macro-engineering as the most promising approach to macro-engineering projects in the U.S. industry. It also addresses the concerns of developing countries over the potential impact of macro-engineering projects.

This volume examines fundamental issues of macro-engineering-now a planetary norm-from the viewpoints of psychiatry, social science, management, and law. The contributors suggest a general theory to guide future decisions on large-scale projects and programs and analyze specific cases in the context of a set of public-interest guidelines.

Macro-engineering projects--enormous undertakings such as the design and construction of new cities, energy islands, and even outer-space industrial complexes--require bold vision, courage, and optimism as well as engineering and management skills. The need for individuals with these qualities is growing as the United States faces its greatest chal

Humans are builders--we make structures to span rivers, to connect points of land, to offer shelter. Indeed, throughout history, civilizations have created structures of such immense scale, requiring such tremendous resources, that they might have been thought impossible. From the Taj Mahal to the Suez Canal, from Solomon's Temple to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, these feats of macro-engineering are a testament to the creativity and foresight of engineers, architects, government officials, and diplomats. Who came up with the ideas for these projects? How did they see them through to completion? What obstacles--diplomatic, legal, logistical, and engineering--had to be overcome for these structures to be built? What impact did these engineering projects have on the economies and cultures of their societies? This encyclopedia answers all these questions, showing how central these great engineering projects are to the history of civilization. It includes the legal documents that launched them. Building the World comprises detailed entries on over forty of the most important engineering projects in world history, such as: Washington D.C.: A "master-planned" city created to house the government of the new country of the United States Eiffel Tower: The construction of this now-iconic feature of Paris was protested by such leading French figures as writers Emile Zola and Alexandre Dumas The Channel Tunnel: While the actual tunnel was not completed until 1993, the idea of a tunnel under the English Channel was considered as early as 1802 by Napoleon. The rich illustration program includes 66 photographs and 30 illustrations, maps, and drawings that document the most important structures ever built.Each entry includes a detailed history of the planning and construction of the project, and a discussion of its subsequent importance. A unique feature of the encyclopedia is an extensive primary source collection that illustrates how the decision to create such a structure came to be, demonstrating the importance of individuals in imagining, planning, and building some of the most famous engineering landmarks in the world.