Synopses & Reviews
Urban growth is changing the condition of humanity and the face of the earth. Half the world’s people now live in cities, with most of the other half depending on them for their economic survival. Mega-cities of ten million or more people are the largest, most complex structures ever made. They are the central hubs of modern economies and their transport systems. Their resource use and waste discharge dominates the human presence on earth. Fossil fuel technology powers modern urbanisation, but in the coming years many cities will become vulnerable to the rising tides of climate change. Across the world, we need a revolution in ‘ future-proofing’ our cities, progressively switching to renewable energy technology and mimicking natural zero-waste ecosystems.
Cities People Planet is a state of the art textbook on how we can address the many challenges of urbanisation. Through a fast moving text and ninety case studies, the author presents leading-edge initiatives and policies on how to make cities around the world both liveable and sustainable. Starting with a concise environmental and cultural history of cities, the book continues as a contemporary global survey and analysis of the challenges of an urbanising world. The ecological redesign of cities, where practiced, is already showing substantial economic and social benefits and is now starting to be implemented across the world.
Cities People Planet by Herbert Girardet is an impassioned plea for a different approach to cities. He argues that unless we change the way we live and use the resources within them, we may not survive. This powerful challenge should make us all think long and hard about our human dependence on the natural environment. Anne Power, Professor of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science
Review
"Read this book, tell your friends about it, send copies to your local town council, MPs and property developers." Resurgence, May/June 05
"...a very thought-provoking book in a clear, easy-to-read format..." (Building Engineer, August 05)
Synopsis
There is a huge amount of interest in the future of the planet and how architecture and design can contribute to this.
This book considers the ecological design of the city and includes ideas and best practice examples of ecological architectural and urban design around the world.
The tone of the book is extremely accessible as it demonstrates how small changes in one area of the world can have impacts elsewhere. It gives an optimistic view and leaves the reader fascinated at the intricacies of the planet's ecosystems and how architecture and urban design can affect it.
- Examples range from Ladbroke Grove solar city in London to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Copenhagen, Curitiba, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Helsinki, Portland Oregon, New York and New Delhi
- It is an extremely well rounded book with a balance of focus across history and around the world
- It is set to be a complete and comprehensive work on this popular area
- It is written by one of the leading figures in this field
Synopsis
When published in 2004, Cities People Planeteffectively anticipated current concerns about climate change, most significantly, outlining the central role of cities in contributing to energy consumption. Since the books publication, the tsumani in Thailand, hurricanes, intemperate weather conditions worldwide and the increasing demand on natural resources have made the book's original urgent appeals seem more relevant than ever. In a new Second Edition, environmental journalist Herbert Girardet's landmark book offers a broader look at the response cities have made to meet the challenge of sustainable development. Focusing on urbanization efforts in China, the book details the government's push to develop entire cities and city extensions within a few years. Girardet describes the flagship project for sustainable development in Dongtan, which he is involved with.
About the Author
Herbert Girardetis a leading author on sustainable development. He is a recipient of UN Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievements, and an honorary fellow of The Royal Institute of British Architects,. He has produced 50 documentaries on human environmental impacts all over the world. He has been a consultant to many clients, including UN Habitat, the Greater London Authority. The London Development Agency and the Corporation of London, and the cities of Adelaide and Vienna. He is Director of Programmes at the World Future council and a consultant to Arup on the development of the Chinese eco-city Dongtan.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Chapter 1: Big Feet, Small Planet.
Chapter 2: In the Beginning.
Chapter 3: From Rome to Edo.
Chapter 4: Technology—Triumph and Tragedy.
Chapter 5: Globalisation and Megacity Growth.
Chapter 6: Cities as Eco-Technical Systems.
Chapter 7: Transport and the City.
Chapter 8: Creating Liveable Cities.
Chapter 9: Solar Cities—From Theory to Practice.
Chapter 10: Towards Zero Waste.
Chapter 11: Using Water Efficiently.
Chapter 12: Relearning Urban Agriculture.
Chapter 13: Building EcoPolis.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.