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Books in Geography planning and development

This collection examines spatial relationships, urbanization, and sustainable development. Supporting geographers, planners, and policymakers, it features geographic information systems (GIS), environmental impact assessments, and policy frameworks. These resources foster effective land use, resilience, and equitable growth in diverse contexts.

  • Assembling Smart Cyber-Physical Systems

    Heterogeneous, Diffuse and Green Technological Infrastructures for Cities and Industries
    • 1st Edition
    • Zakaria Benomar + 3 more
    • English
    Assembling Smart Cyber-Physical Systems: Heterogeneous, Diffuse and Green Technological Infrastructures for Cities and Industries offers a comprehensive approach on how to design, implement, and use Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs)-computing systems with a strong interaction between the physical environment (equipped with sensors and actuators) and the cyber realm (the Cloud). Through a carefully structured methodological approach to systems design, readers will learn how the infrastructure continuum represents our environment, where we can move from edge computing to the Cloud, going through fog resources to set up an entire framework for services deployment and application in smart cities and industries.As dealing with complex systems has become increasingly difficult, CPSs are increasingly critical to cope with integrating software, which people are used to, with hardware, which is distributed among different domains. This book shows how to deal with such systems where there is no distinction among the different parts: computing, storage, networking, and IoT all contribute to setting up the modern processing environments, thus it is mandatory to keep them simultaneously under control.

  • Symbiotic Planning for Urban Futures

    A Paradigm for Human-AI Co-Creation
    • 1st Edition
    • Zhong-Ren Peng
    • English
    Symbiotic Planning for Urban Futures: A Paradigm for Human-AI Co-Creation presents a framework for harnessing AI's analytical power while preserving democratic control over urban futures. This book establishes symbiotic planning as a falsifiable paradigm—grounded in five technology-neutral axioms and operationalized through governed friction—where AI acts as governed co-creator across the CORE framework: Collaboration, Options, Refinement, Execution. It clarifies distinct roles: AI synthesizes evidence, generates non-obvious options, and stress-tests plans; planners steward assumptions and translate values into constraints; communities contest and refine constraints; and authorized decision-makers set ends and grant time-bound approvals. Equity is treated as a primary design constraint, with equity floors as binding guardrails.This book serves as essential resource for urban planners, civic technologists, policymakers, researchers, and students committed to democratic urban governance in an algorithmic age. It provides actionable governance tools, including Civic Evidence Dossiers, Authorization Forums, Equity Gates, and a 100-Day Starter Kit, ensuring AI remains transparent, contestable, and subject to renewal. Whether navigating AI procurement, studying algorithmic accountability, or organizing for transparent decision-making, this book empowers readers to make cities more resilient, equitable, and democratically co-governed.

  • Global Risks and Energy System Resilience

    • 1st Edition
    • Jun Zhao + 2 more
    • English
    Global Risks and Energy System Resilience examines the intricate interplay between various global risks and the resilience of energy systems. This comprehensive reference delves into the complex geopolitical, economic, and financial factors that shape energy security today, offering a structured framework for understanding and addressing challenges. It covers crucial topics such as the evolution of energy system resilience, the development of an evaluation framework, and the quantification of the impacts of geopolitical, financial, and economic risks. Researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals in energy strategy and policy evaluation, energy system resilience optimization, and risk avoidance policies will find this book invaluable.This book follows the logical framework of “indicator measurement-impact assessment-scenario prediction.” It first analyzes the current situation and provides an overview of global risks and the energy system resilience, then measures the levels of different types of global risks and energy system resilience, and then analyzes the spatio-temporal evolution law. Second, the theoretical transmission mechanism of different kinds of risks on energy system resilience is analyzed through literature and theoretical review. Next, the actual impacts of different kinds of risks on energy system resilience are assessed by corresponding econometric models. Finally, the influencing factors affecting the resilience of energy systems under a digital background are identified to predict the future development of energy system resilience.

  • Technological Inclusion and Climate Innovation

    Comparative Pathways for Just and Equitable Transitions Across Global Societies
    • 1st Edition
    • Samuel Chukwujindu Nwokolo + 3 more
    • English
    Technological Inclusion and Climate Innovation: Comparative Pathways for Just and Equitable Transitions Across Global Societies offers a groundbreaking, equity-focused roadmap that redefines climate innovation by integrating sociotechnical inclusion, institutional foresight, and comparative global metrics. Sections cover global disparities in climate exposure and technological capacity, social equity, governance, cultural interfaces, national strategies, geopolitics, smart cities, circular economies, digital climate governance, innovation ecosystems, climate education, and future scenarios. Novel indices such as the Inclusion-Readiness Nexus (IRN), Innovation Gradient Index (IGI), and Synergistic Transition Potential (STP) are introduced to assess and compare climate-tech inclusion.The work also presents strategic foresight models and policy roadmaps for equitable climate technology deployment aligned with Sustainable Development Goals. It is invaluable to interdisciplinary scholars, policymakers, strategists, and practitioners engaged in sustainability, technology, governance, and equity. It benefits environmental scientists, political scientists, urban planners, STS scholars, digital sociologists, global governance experts, climate policy researchers, innovation economists, and professionals in public-private partnerships, climate-tech startups, and multilateral organizations.

  • Encyclopedia of Ecology

    • 3rd Edition
    • Brian D. Fath
    • English
    Encyclopedia of Ecology, Third Edition, Four Volume Set - with over 300 chapters - once again provides a comprehensive reference work covering the current ideas and practices in ecology.Ecology is the ideal field for studying complex, adaptive, and self-organizing systems and by observing and understanding ecosystems, it provides valuable insights into creating sustainable systems. This knowledge is essential for addressing challenges in areas such as land management, environmental policy development, urban metabolism, industrial symbiosis, the global commons, and renewable energy.Ecology traditionally focused on measuring species abundance and distribution through field observations to establish a baseline understanding of nature. More recently, it emphasizes the relationships within populations, among species, and with their environment—networks of life central to this encyclopedia. Understanding these ecological connections is key to sustainability science and human-nature interactions. Current research spans biodiversity loss, soil conservation, sustainable agriculture, emerging diseases, eco-mimicry, and climate change. Ecological education and environmental literacy are increasingly integrated into curricula.Written and edited by an international team of experts and with special focus on interdisciplinary work in socio-ecological systems, this 3rd edition again links theory with application, and helps allow students needing entry-level summaries of specific ecology topics to create connections and find relevant, more in-depth resources in this exciting field.

  • Smart Cities: A System of Systems Perspective

    Engineering, Analytics, and Innovations for Sustainable Urban Development
    • 1st Edition
    • Iman Rahimi + 3 more
    • English
    Smart Cities: A System of Systems Perspective offers a comprehensive exploration of System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) principles as they pertain to the development of smart cities. This multidisciplinary volume delves into how analytics and innovative technologies can transform urban environments, equipping readers with the knowledge to optimize city operations, enhance public services, and promote sustainable urban growth. With a blend of theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and real-world examples, this book serves as an essential guide for anyone interested in the future of urban living.Structured into seven insightful parts, the book begins with the foundational concepts of SoSE and key principles of smart cities, exploring emergent behavior and interoperability. It then examines the integration of SoSE within urban infrastructure, highlighting the roles of IoT, AI, and machine learning. Subsequent sections focus on core technologies and analytical tools, including data analytics, predictive modeling, and decision support systems tailored for urban planning. Readers will also discover innovative solutions to pressing urban challenges, such as sustainability, cybersecurity, and governance, alongside detailed case studies showcasing successful smart city initiatives from around the globe.This book is invaluable for academics and researchers in urban studies, engineering, analytics, IoT, and AI, as well as data scientists and analytics professionals working with urban datasets. Graduate and postgraduate students in engineering, analytics, computer science, or urban studies will find it a crucial resource, while educators designing courses on smart cities or system analytics can leverage its insights to enhance their curriculum. Whether you are a policymaker, planner, or industry professional, Smart Cities: A System of Systems Perspective provides the tools and knowledge needed to navigate and shape the future of urban development.

  • The Next Frontiers of Quantum Generative Intelligence for Smarter Eco-Cities

    Transforming Environmental Sustainability Through Augmented Deep Generative and Foundation Models
    • 1st Edition
    • Simon Elias Bibri
    • English
    The Next Frontiers of Quantum Generative Intelligence for Smarter Eco-Cities presents ground-breaking advances in the convergence of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, deep generative models, foundation models, and urban-environmental intelligence to transform sustainable urban development. The book offers conceptual frameworks, theoretical insights, evidence syntheses, operational models, empirical case studies, and real-world use cases that showcase how quantum-enhanced generative intelligence can optimize energy systems, transportation and mobility, water resources, waste systems, air quality, carbon capture, biodiversity and ecosystems, climate resilience, and disaster risk management in smarter eco-cities.Detailed chapters examine deep generative models, hybrid and mixed models, urban and environmental foundation models, hybrid quantum-classical architectures, quantum GANs, quantum VAEs, quantum DMs, and quantum transformer-based architectures, providing readers with both foundational knowledge and applied methodologies. The text bridges theoretical advances with practical deployment strategies, encompassing policy guidance and system constraints to support evidence-based decision-making in urban ecological sustainability contexts.This resource benefits urban planners, city managers, environmental scientists, policymakers, technology experts, academics, and graduate students by equipping them with innovative tools and frameworks to design, manage, and operate smarter eco-cities. It serves researchers and practitioners at the intersection of quantum AI, quantum generative AI, and urban-environmental systems, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to address the urgent challenges of ecological degradation, resource depletion, and climate change.

  • Models and Measures for Sustainable City Logistics

    Behavioral Choice Processes
    • 1st Edition
    • Francesco Russo + 1 more
    • English
    Models and Measures for Sustainable City: Behavioral Choice Processes Logistics offers a thorough understanding of urban freight movements, focusing on behavioral aspects of consumers. It outlines the role of modelling the behavioral aspects of people determining urban freight movements, mapping the behavior of the end consumer and the retailer which generates freight movements in an urban context. It provides new methods of urban freight transport simulation, taking into account the challenges of sustainable development goals, and uses the most recent approaches in modelling for city logistics scenario design and planning. It also outlines the relationships between measures and main components (expressed by indicators) of sustainable development.This book guides readers in implementing the most effective city logistics measures and actions, addressing the choice of a set of measures and the definition of planning scenarios. Readers are introduced to simulation methods for estimating impacts and system performance, which can be used for comparing the future scenario outcomes according to the set of target indicators defined by Agenda 2030. The book first specifies end consumer behaviors in purchasing processes, analyzing the individual phases of the purchase. The retailer’s behaviors are then specified, and after specifying the patterns of the decision makers, the quantities of goods that constitute the references for the choices of the decision makers are analyzed. Finally, the book presents the problems whose solution makes it possible to identify the vehicles of the various types and then the flows on the network. The overall structure of the model system and the specification of each single model are then given. Some models calibrated in different real cases are presented, highlighting their applicability to other contexts. Finally, implementable measures are presented and the relationships between measures and main components (expressed by indicators) of sustainable development are examined.Transport technicians, post-graduate students, and academics alike will find this a valuable resource for understanding how to incorporate user behavior into transport planning and logistics modeling, ultimately helping them to optimize processes and promote sustainability.

  • Uneven Urban and Regional Growth

    Global Urbanization, Regional Economies and Local Dynamics
    • 1st Edition
    • Luca Salvati
    • English
    Uneven Urban and Regional Growth: Global Urbanization, Regional Economies and Local Dynamics examines the links between economic growth, metropolitan development, and environmental sustainability in advanced economies. Focusing on urban areas as hubs of innovation and social change, the book explores how social and environmental factors intersect with economic processes. It advocates for new governance strategies that promote sustainable growth through inclusive policies and integrated urban tools. Drawing on regional economics, it offers a comparative analysis of settlement patterns and spatial planning, emphasizing multilevel governance to address social inequalities and contemporary urban challenges effectively.Structur... in three sections, the book begins with a global-to-regional perspective on urbanization and economic dynamics, featuring analyses of uneven economic growth, urban-rural dynamics, and urbanization trends supported by global statistics and case studies from the United States, Iran, and Italy. The second section delves into socio-demographic drivers of urbanization at the regional and district levels, including population dynamics, family patterns, migration, and environmental health indicators in Mediterranean contexts. The final section focuses on local planning and territorial factors influencing urbanization, addressing topics such as landscape quality, labor markets, sustainable regional development, port infrastructure economics, and gendered urban spaces. Richly illustrated with photographs, graphs, maps, and case studies, the book integrates interdisciplinary perspectives from applied economics, geography, sociology, demography, planning, and socio-environmental sciences.

  • Community Trees and Forests

    Improving Environmental and Human Well-Being
    • 1st Edition
    • David J. Nowak
    • English
    Improving Environmental and Human Health with Community Trees and Forests provides the latest and most comprehensive information on community forests globally, how these trees improve human health and well-being, the value of community trees, and what local land managers, from the lot to regional scale, could do to improve the benefits provided by community trees. It offers a complete understanding of the benefits and costs associated with trees in cities and how these benefits occur. This book facilitates the creation of sustainable community forests that provide optimal benefits to individuals and society.It takes a systems approach, focusing on the forest population rather than the individual tree, and providing information on the best tree species and designs to produce optimal effects. The book is divided into three major sections: The Basics, Urban Forest Benefits, and Improving the Urban Environment with Trees. It covers how cities affect our local environment, the monetary value of trees, and specific steps that land managers should follow to manage and improve their local tree and forest population. This comprehensive resource is valuable for city forest and park managers, policy makers, regional managers, and non-profit groups.

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