City Planning & Urban Development books

The promises, dreams and hopes of architects for future cities are now inextricably linked to climate change. Architects, Sustainability and the Climate Emergency: A Political Ecology chronicles how architects have shaped their ideas of the city—and sustainability—as knowledge of the climate emergency has unfolded. Have architects responded to the climate crisis too slowly? Describing a political ecology of architecture, Peter Raisbeck draws on architectural history, theory and practice, and the climate imaginaries of architects themselves. This exploration indicates how architects have viewed the climate emergency and positions architecture alongside the politics of climate and development studies. Raisbeck questions to what degree the traditional agency of architects leads to a political authority isolated from nature, human-environment systems and the nonhuman ecological subjects rapidly approaching tipping points. The fluidity of the climate emergency itself and its unfolding relationship to architectural knowledge suggests that new approaches, agencies and subjectivities are urgently required. As architects struggle to respond to the climate emergency, this book is an important and timely contribution to sustainability, climate and development debates. Architects, Sustainability and the Climate Emergency: A Political Ecology is a necessary provocation of a critical topic.

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.

Understanding the challenges in research and practice of participation in the digital era, and the important role of local governance in achieving the sustainable development goals, Community Participation and Civic Engagement in the Digital Era unfolds the complex relationship of community participation, social capital and social networks. Singh presents an in-depth literature review alongside case studies from developing countries, showcasing the role of participation in sustainable development, and explaining how digital development creates technological tools and a virtual space for community engagement – increasing the complexity of community participation and civic engagement, and the potential for implementing the sustainable development goals at a local level. From the historic concept and forms of participation to describing and analysing the environmental and individual factors shaping practice of participation, community development interventions and local governance, the book culminates in a discussion of future work and challenges in the digital world. Delivering a careful review of the theoretical and practical problems of community participation in the digital age and featuring applied theories and cases which appeal to public policy makers and researchers, Community Participation and Civic Engagement in the Digital Era offers a rich theoretical perspective and detailed critical review of social capital and social networks that has profound application in the fields of political science, sociology and development economics.

Rising inequalities are a defining challenge of our times and a crucial obstacle to the realization of the SDGs. The need to accelerate steps towards the reduction of growing disparities within and among countries is well realised.  Responding to that need, this book aims to understand the types, drivers, consequences and impact of inequalities in broad contexts across groups and individuals, as well as societies and states. Defining inequality as the social, economic and political challenges of our time, the authors examine SDG10 to look ahead at how policy action might engage multiple stakeholders, involve diverse sectors and address gaps between policy and implementation to tackle inequalities and facilitate the advancement of the SDG agenda.

In a world characterised by rapid urbanisation it is increasingly difficult to devise urban governance models which are resilient, safe and inclusive, and that also preserve the environment. This book takes Singapore, a leader in this field, as a case study, looking at its successes in urban governance and smart city planning.  Through the lens of environmental sustainability, the author examines Singapore’s recent adoption of technological tools, which have led to increased efficiency and performance, and have also supported its economic ambitions. The book unveils a unique and critical insight into Singapore’s approach. Considering the historical, political and technological context, the author shares the techniques and key projects that have contributed to the all-important improvement of liveability levels in the city state.

Visual pollution is an emerging, multi-dimensional, subjective, and under studied area of manmade environments that has recently received researchers' focus. Visual Pollution: Concepts, Practices and Management Framework offers the first substantial cutting-edge exploration of visual pollution in urban settlements, uncovering the conceptualisation, geography-specific visual pollutants, methods of visual pollution assessment and management frameworks. Nawaz and Wakil dive into the contrasting prevalence of visual pollution geographically and the connection of human behaviour with urban aesthetics, urban management, measurement tools, information systems and regulatory frameworks. This novel contribution fills the international knowledge gap to generate dynamic and practical solutions for the mitigation in regulatory and enforcement frames. Providing a holistic picture to a diverse multi-dimensional readership interested to explore the phenomena of visual pollution, Visual Pollution: Concepts, Practices and Management Framework is an essential read for those working and researching in the fields of urban design, property management, planning, building, and policymakers confronted with a rapidly urbanising planet.