Urban regions have come under increasing pressure to adapt to the imperatives of mobility, including greater freedom of travel, rising trade volumes and global economic networks. Whereas urbanization was once characterized by the concentration of services and facilities, urban areas now have to ensure the exchange of goods, services and information in a much more complex, interrelated, highly competitive, and spatially dispersed environment. As a consequence, cities are challenged to ensure the functionality of infrastructure while mitigating negative environmental and social impacts.
Cities, Regions and Flows brings together debates in a single volume to present a theoretical framework for understanding the changing relationship between places and movement. It analyses the significance of flows of goods for urban and regional development and emphasises the twin processes of integration and disintegration that result from goods movement within urban space. It discusses urban regions as nodes for organizing the exchange of goods, services and information against a background of socio-economic and technological change, as well as new patterns of urbanization. The new logistics concepts and practices that have been developed in response to these changes exert both integrative and disintegrative effects on cities and regions. It also considers how urban policies are dealing with related challenges concerning infrastructure provision, land use, local labour markets and environmental sustainability.
Cities, Regions and Flows contains thoughtfully prepared case studies from five different continents on how cities manage to become part of value chains and how they strive for accessibility in an increasingly competitive environment. This book will be on interest to policy-makers and advanced classes in planning, geography, urban studies and transportation.

Urban regions have come under increasing pressure to adapt to the imperatives of mobility, including greater freedom of travel, rising trade volumes and global economic networks. Whereas urbanization was once characterized by the concentration of services and facilities, urban areas now have to ensure the exchange of goods, services and information in a much more complex, interrelated, highly competitive, and spatially dispersed environment. As a consequence, cities are challenged to ensure the functionality of infrastructure while mitigating negative environmental and social impacts. Cities, Regions and Flows brings together debates in a single volume to present a theoretical framework for understanding the changing relationship between places and movement. It analyses the significance of flows of goods for urban and regional development and emphasises the twin processes of integration and disintegration that result from goods movement within urban space. It discusses urban regions as nodes for organizing the exchange of goods, services and information against a background of socio-economic and technological change, as well as new patterns of urbanization. The new logistics concepts and practices that have been developed in response to these changes exert both integrative and disintegrative effects on cities and regions. It also considers how urban policies are dealing with related challenges concerning infrastructure provision, land use, local labour markets and environmental sustainability. Cities, Regions and Flows contains thoughtfully prepared case studies from five different continents on how cities manage to become part of value chains and how they strive for accessibility in an increasingly competitive environment. This book will be on interest to policy-makers and advanced classes in planning, geography, urban studies and transportation.

The on-time delivery of goods is regarded as a primary factor of the urban economy and is being monitored by businesses and government alike. However, much analysis of freight transportation and the flow of goods into, out of and within urban areas focuses on functional, business-related approaches. This book examines the interrelationship between logistics development on one hand and urban development and geographical issues, such as land use and location, on the other. Avoiding certain one-dimensional views on 'logistics impacts on the city', it discloses the complex interaction of the logistics system with the entire urban environment. It also bridges the gap between recent geographical research into new production systems and (post)modern consumption patterns. Illustrated with case studies from the United States, Germany, France, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, it examines issues such as: the historical nexus between urban areas and logistics; current urban developments with regards to goods distribution; city-region related characteristics of freight flows; locational dynamics; and specific freight related urban problems and conflicts.

The on-time delivery of goods is regarded as a primary factor of the urban economy and is being monitored by businesses and government alike. However, much analysis of freight transportation and the flow of goods into, out of and within urban areas focuses on functional, business-related approaches. This book examines the interrelationship between logistics development on one hand and urban development and geographical issues, such as land use and location, on the other. Avoiding certain one-dimensional views on 'logistics impacts on the city', it discloses the complex interaction of the logistics system with the entire urban environment. It also bridges the gap between recent geographical research into new production systems and (post)modern consumption patterns. Illustrated with case studies from the United States, Germany, France, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, it examines issues such as: the historical nexus between urban areas and logistics; current urban developments with regards to goods distribution; city-region related characteristics of freight flows; locational dynamics; and specific freight related urban problems and conflicts.

This book describes for the first time a simulation method for the fast calculation of contact properties and friction between rough surfaces in a complete form. In contrast to existing simulation methods, the method of dimensionality reduction (MDR) is based on the exact mapping of various types of three-dimensional contact problems onto contacts of one-dimensional foundations. Within the confines of MDR, not only are three dimensional systems reduced to one-dimensional, but also the resulting degrees of freedom are independent from another. Therefore, MDR results in an enormous reduction of the development time for the numerical implementation of contact problems as well as the direct computation time and can ultimately assume a similar role in tribology as FEM has in structure mechanics or CFD methods, in hydrodynamics. Furthermore, it substantially simplifies analytical calculation and presents a sort of "pocket book edition" of the entirety contact mechanics. Measurements of the rheology of bodies in contact as well as their surface topography and adhesive properties are the inputs of the calculations. In particular, it is possible to capture the entire dynamics of a system - beginning with the macroscopic, dynamic contact calculation all the way down to the influence of roughness - in a single numerical simulation model. Accordingly, MDR allows for the unification of the methods of solving contact problems on different scales. The goals of this book are on the one hand, to prove the applicability and reliability of the method and on the other hand, to explain its extremely simple application to those interested.

This book describes for the first time a simulation method for the fast calculation of contact properties and friction between rough surfaces in a complete form.

In contrast to existing simulation methods, the method of dimensionality reduction (MDR) is based on the exact mapping of various types of three-dimensional contact problems onto contacts of one-dimensional foundations. Within the confines of MDR, not only are three dimensional systems reduced to one-dimensional, but also the resulting degrees of freedom are independent from another. Therefore, MDR results in an enormous reduction of the development time for the numerical implementation of contact problems as well as the direct computation time and can ultimately assume a similar role in tribology as FEM has in structure mechanics or CFD methods, in hydrodynamics. Furthermore, it substantially simplifies analytical calculation and presents a sort of pocket book edition of the entirety contact mechanics.

Measurements of the rheology of bodies in contact as well as their surface topography and adhesive properties are the inputs of the calculations. In particular, it is possible to capture the entire dynamics of a system beginning with the macroscopic, dynamic contact calculation all the way down to the influence of roughness in a single numerical simulation model. Accordingly, MDR allows for the unification of the characteristic methods of solving contact problems on different scales.

The goals of this book are on the one hand, to prove the applicability and reliability of the method and on the other hand, to explain its extremely simple application to those interested."

This open access book contains a structured collection of the complete solutions of all essential axisymmetric contact problems. Based on a systematic distinction regarding the type of contact, the regime of friction and the contact geometry, a multitude of technically relevant contact problems from mechanical engineering, the automotive industry and medical engineering are discussed. In addition to contact problems between isotropic elastic and viscoelastic media, contact problems between transversal-isotropic elastic materials and functionally graded materials are addressed, too. The optimization of the latter is a focus of current research especially in the fields of actuator technology and biomechanics. The book takes into account adhesive effects which allow access to contact-mechanical questions about micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. Solutions of the contact problems include both the relationships between the macroscopic force, displacement and contact length, as well as the stress and displacement fields at the surface and, if appropriate, within the half-space medium. Solutions are always obtained with the simplest available method - usually with the method of dimensionality reduction (MDR) or approaches which use the solution of the non-adhesive normal contact problem to solve the respective contact problem.

Das Werk beschreibt erstmalig in einer geschlossenen Form eine Simulationsmethode zur schnellen Berechnung von Kontakteigenschaften und Reibung zwischen rauen Oberflachen.

Im Unterschied zu bestehenden Simulationsverfahren basiert die Methode der Dimensionsreduktion (MDR) auf einer "exakten "Abbildung verschiedener Klassen von dreidimensionalen Kontaktproblemen auf Kontakte mit eindimensionalen Bettungen. Innerhalb der MDR wird jedoch nicht nur die Dimension von drei auf eins reduziert, sondern gleichermassen sind voneinander unabhangige Freiheitsgrade gegeben. Die MDR beinhaltet daher eine enorme Reduktion sowohl der Entwicklungszeit fur die numerische Implementierung von Kontaktproblemen als auch der direkten Rechenzeit und kann letztlich in der Tribologie eine ahnliche Rolle einnehmen wie FEM in der Strukturmechanik oder bekannte CFD-Loser in der Hydrodynamik. Daruber hinaus erleichtert sie in hohem Masse analytische Berechnungen und bietet eine Art Taschenausgabe der gesamten Kontaktmechanik.
Messungen der Rheologie der kontaktierenden Korper sowie ihrer Oberflachentopographie und Adhasionseigenschaften finden unmittelbaren Eingang in die Berechnung. Insbesondere ist es moglich, die gesamte Dynamik des Systems beginnend mit der makroskopischen Systemdynamik uber die makroskopische, dynamische Kontaktberechnung bis hin zum Einfluss der Rauheit in" einem" numerischen Simulationsmodell zu erfassen. Die MDR erlaubt demnach die Vereinigung der charakteristischen Ablaufe verschiedener Skalen.

Zielsetzung des Buches ist es, einerseits die Berechtigung und Zuverlassigkeit der Methode zu belegen, andererseits ihre ausserst einfache Handhabung interessierten Praktikern zu erklaren.

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Spatial and identity research operates with differentiations and relations. These are particularly useful heuristic tools when examining border regions where social and geopolitical demarcations diverge. Applying this approach, the authors of this volume investigate spatial and identity constructions in cross-border contexts as they appear in everyday, institutional and media practices. The results are discussed with a keen eye for obliquely aligned spaces and identities and relinked to governmental issues of normalization and subjectivation. The studies base upon empirical surveys conducted in Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg.