Sustainable cities: urban planning challenges and policy

Description

"Two trends come together in the world's cities to make urban sustainability a critical issue today. First, greater and greater numbers of people are living in urban areas--and are projected to do so for the foreseeable future. Additionally, cities contribute to climate change in a significant way and must make systemic changes to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects. Urban planners face serious challenges in enhancing sustainability but also have an important set of tools available for creating innovative solutions. This book, Sustainable Cities: Urban Planning Challenges and Policy, adds to the conversation about the place of urban planning in the creation and maintenance of sustainable cities. Urban sustainability has a variety of dimensions. The first section of this book covers the "greening" of cities--introducing natural elements into the cityscape as a way to achieve sustainability. The second part focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation as pressing challenges facing modern cities. The third section includes chapters on on land use management practices and infrastructure as ways to build more sustainable cities particularly around transportation. Finally, the fourth section recognizes the crucial dimension of water for cities around the world, and describes some water challenges and potential solutions. Together, the book covers a range of planning policy tools useful for improving sustainability and resilience of urban areas."-- Read more... Abstract: "Two trends come together in the world's cities to make urban sustainability a critical issue today. First, greater and greater numbers of people are living in urban areas--and are projected to do so for the foreseeable future. Additionally, cities contribute to climate change in a significant way and must make systemic changes to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects. Urban planners face serious challenges in enhancing sustainability but also have an important set of tools available for creating innovative solutions. This book, Sustainable Cities: Urban Planning Challenges and Policy, adds to the conversation about the place of urban planning in the creation and maintenance of sustainable cities. Urban sustainability has a variety of dimensions. The first section of this book covers the "greening" of cities--introducing natural elements into the cityscape as a way to achieve sustainability. The second part focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation as pressing challenges facing modern cities. The third section includes chapters on on land use management practices and infrastructure as ways to build more sustainable cities particularly around transportation. Finally, the fourth section recognizes the crucial dimension of water for cities around the world, and describes some water challenges and potential solutions. Together, the book covers a range of planning policy tools useful for improving sustainability and resilience of urban areas."