Overview
- The book identifies and promotes examples of balanced and safe urban management, through contrasting megacities worldwide
- Reviews planning and management systems to assess their ability to support sustainable megacities and to make more balanced use of resources
- Research on how megacities can become more competitive, creative and attractive human environments, as well as safer places for people to live
Part of the book series: International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE)
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Table of contents (16 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Physical Space, Land and Resources
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Front Matter
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Economic, Social and Infrastructure Transformation
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Front Matter
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Keywords
About this book
As urbanization continues, and even accelerates, scientists estimate that by 2015 the world will have up to 60 ‘megacities’ – urban areas with more than five million inhabitants. With the irresistible economic attractions of urban centers, particularly in developing countries, making the influx of citizens unstoppable, many of humankind’s coming social, economic and political dramas will be played out in megacities. This book shows how geographers and Earth scientists are contributing to a better understanding of megacities.
The contributors analyze the impact of socio-economic and political activities on environmental change and vice versa, and identify solutions to the worst problems. They propose ways of improving the management of megacities and achieving a greater degree of sustainability in their development. The goals, of wise use of human and natural resources, risk reduction (both social and environmental) and quality of life enhancement, are agreed upon. But, as thistext proves, the means of achieving these ends are varied. Hence, chapters cover an array of topics, from health management in Indian megacities, to planning in New York, to transport solutions for the chronically traffic-choked Bangkok. Authors cover the impact of climate change on megacities, as well as less tangible issues such as socio-political fragmentation in the urban areas of Rio de Janeiro.
This exploration of some of the most crucial issues that we face as a species sets out research that is of the utmost importance, with the potential to contribute substantially to global justice and peace – and thereby prosperity.
Reviews
From the reviews:
“This collection’s 15 substantive chapters cover a range of issues from water quality and food security to social conflict, informal settlements, foreign direct investment, and e-governance. … A work most suited to comprehensive collections. Summing Up … Upper-division undergraduate and graduate students.” (R. A. Beauregard, Choice, Vol. 51 (5), January, 2014)Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Megacities
Book Subtitle: Our Global Urban Future
Editors: Frauke Kraas, Surinder Aggarwal, Martin Coy, Günter Mertins
Series Title: International Year of Planet Earth
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3417-5
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2014
Hardcover ISBN: 978-90-481-3416-8Published: 29 July 2013
Softcover ISBN: 978-94-024-0510-1Published: 23 August 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-90-481-3417-5Published: 12 July 2013
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 225
Number of Illustrations: 18 b/w illustrations, 29 illustrations in colour
Topics: Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning, Geophysics/Geodesy, Sustainable Development