State of the World 2007: Our Urban Future (State of the World)

Book Description

"Top-ranked annual books on sustainable development."—GlobeScan survey of sustainability experts

In State of the World 2007, the Worldwatch Institute's award-winning research team focuses on the urbanization of our planet to provide policymakers, strategic planners, researchers, students, and concerned citizens with comprehensive analysis of the global environmental problems we face, together with descriptions of practical, innovative solutions. This report will show what is needed to foster sustainable cities on a planet where urban areas are home to half the human population and a far larger share of natural resource use.

Written in clear and concise language, with easy-to-read charts and tables, State of the World 2007 presents a view of our changing world that we, and our leaders, cannot afford to ignore.

Customer Reviews:

The truth can be convenient.......2007-02-08

Especially when the issues are surveyed in Worldwatch's annual review.

A comprehensive and constructive look at the global urban environment.......2007-02-07

This year's "State of the World" by Worldwatch Institute focuses on the global urban environment: water and sanitation, transportation, agriculture and farming, energy, natural hazard risks, pulic health, economics, and environmental justice. Each chapter lays out trends and statistics demonstrating some of the hazards the world might be facing with the current trends towards urbanization.

However, the book has a largely positive and constructive tone, with extensive use of examples and case studies of locales using innovative methods for protecting the environment and even attempting to reducing pollutants that might be global in their impacts. Case studies span the world - from Los Angeles to Timbuktu. The "city" provides a structure for problem-solving.

The book overall is comprehensive, with excellent writing and editing - some chapters are replete with data while others are written in a sweeping "big picture" context with long-term recommendations for future directions. This is a great resource for researchers, policy-makers, students, and anyone interested in understanding the risks and opportunities for the urban landscape.

Bring Back the Buffalo!: A Sustainable Future for America's Great Plains

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An excellant series of suggestions for the rural plains
The Buffalo and the Bear
Really opens your eyes to the importance of restoring bison
The poorest book ever written about the Great Plains

Bring Back the Buffalo!: A Sustainable Future for America's Great Plains
Ernest Callenbach
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Where the Buffalo Roam: Restoring America's Great Plains
American Bison: A Natural History (Organisms and Environments, 6)
Buffalo Book: The Full Saga Of The American Animal
Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American Prairie
Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch

ASIN: 0520224078

Book Description

With a new epilogue
Though the Plains have been in economic and population decline since the twenties, they are actually within closer reach of vibrant ecological sustainability than any other region of the country. This visionary book offers a constructive alternative to the decline of cattle ranching, depletion of underground water, and dependency on outside energy sources. It shows how bringing back the hardy, majestic bison and using the region's winds to generate power are keys to renewed economic and social health for Plains communities.

Customer Reviews:

An excellant series of suggestions for the rural plains.......2003-10-20

Well, I'll try this a second time. The first time I wrote this review, it disappeared from the screen as soon as I clicked on the Edit button, so take care. At any rate...
Callenbach makes an excellent case for changing the way we utilize the Great Plains. With depleting aquifers, failing farms, and resultant loss of population, the region is changing drastically, regardless. With a semi-arid climate, the High Plains are best utilized for ranching, with some farming of suitable crops. The author points out that the native American bison is far more suited to this environment than the domestic bovines now dominant. They are low-maintainance, and provide meat that is leaner than beef, with more protein. And, it's quite delicious. (In fact, after I get off the web, I intend to cook a stroganoff with ground buffalo!) Thru both public and private efforts, as well as projects by Indian tribes in the region, bison can once more become part of a sustainable future for the Plains. Callenbach also advocates bringing back associated grazers like elk, deer, and antelope, as well as appropriate natural predators. Still, man will continue to be the main predator. By using the Plains in a sustainable fashion, a better future could be in store for this great region of the country. Tourism, in the form of wildlife viewing, picture-taking, and hunting would add to the economy. He correctly points out that wind-power would become a major source of power thru-out this whole area.
All in all, a fascinating and thought-provoking series of ideas for projects and policies that would help reverse the decline in the heartland. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a sustainable future. Needless to say, there is much more to the book. I've only mentioned a few of the main points. (I listed more in my disappearing first review; that still ticks me off.) Nevertheless, read it and I guarantee it will not be time wasted.

The Buffalo and the Bear.......2000-01-29

To begin with, i haven't read this book.But the idea seems to me great. Bringing buffalos to the plains will start a new period in the life of America, only we'll have to bring indians too. They would live quietly though loudly, producing some kind of energy which was always here, and which otherways is dissolving into Nowhere.This energy is necessary for generating life all over America. Joseph Campbell tells an interesting story about how buffalos interchanged with indians in the process of buffalo-hunt. They (buffalos) said they are not against hunting them in general, but they must be asked to and treated politely. Anyway all this play is inevitable, they said (indians used to follow them to the end of the rock and made them jump into the precipice) You must only find a suitable form. Another, more human and beautiful attitude we see in the film "Bless the beasts and the children", but this is a kind of unfair play from the side of the bad guys that we see there. Anyway, America must return to It's roots, the only question is where and what these roots are? perhaps this returning is going on somewhere without us, humans, and this is for better because we would spoil everything, even the ecologists? And this process is wild and strong? And it is expressed in our personal mythologies? I had written about the russian-american connections( i am a Russian originally) as the connections of the Bear and the Buffalo, both of them are beautifully and roughly strong, but they differ very much in their behaviour. So i think they would not fight, when they meet, imagine what they would do? Bear had a strong hand, Buffalo a strong foot...no, it's hard to imagine. Dance perhaps? Do circus? So to finish with this short review of an unread book( I liked Ecotopia very much, and want to ask if somebody knows what Mr.Callenbach is doing at the moment)I would like to phantasise about returning bears to the Russian forests. There are still a lot of them, but so many were killed, and so many went to the zoo and circus. What would be Russia with bears in the streets of Moscow? Perhaps people are so tired that nobody would notice?

Really opens your eyes to the importance of restoring bison.......1999-10-01

An excellent book. Callenbach clearing shows that he did his "homework". A must read for anyone who feels that bison should be reestablished on the American scene.

The poorest book ever written about the Great Plains.......1998-08-24

Callenbach demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the people who live on the Great Plains and the issues facing them. This book is very poorly researched, is full of factual errors, and consists primarily of wishful thinking. The idea that taking land from the people that own it and creating a giant buffalo park will be an economic boon and reverse the population declines the Plains has experienced for the past 60 years is ludicrous. If you're really interested in the future of the Great Plains, read some of the more recent articles by Frank and Deborah Popper. The Buffalo Commons is a useful metaphor, but nothing more.

Future Forms and Design for Sustainable Cities

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Future Forms and Design for Sustainable Cities

Manufacturer: Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Sustainable Urban Design: An Environmental Approach
Cities People Planet: Liveable Cities for a Sustainable World
Ecocities: Rebuilding Cities in Balance With Nature
Green Urbanism: Learning From European Cities
The Key to Sustainable Cities: Meeting Human Needs, Transforming Community Systems

ASIN: 075066309X
Release Date: 2005-08-22

Book Description

Concentrating on the planning and design of cities, the three sections take a logical route through the discussion from the broad considerations at regional and city scale, to the larger city at high and lower densities through to design considerations on the smaller block scale. Key design issues such as access to facilities, access for sunlight, life cycle analyses, and the impact of communications on urban design are tackled, and in conclusion, the research is compared to large scale design examples that have been proposed and/or implemented over the past decade to give a vision for the future that might be achievable.

* Provides an accessible presentation of the latest research in sustainable urban planning and design
* Illustrates recent sustainable plans and schemes to show how they stand up against the latest research
* Offers architects, urban designers and planners a view of how urban forms can become more sustainable in the future

The Waste Crisis: Landfills, Incinerators, and the Search for a Sustainable Future

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Sustainable Future is in our hands

The Waste Crisis: Landfills, Incinerators, and the Search for a Sustainable Future
Hans Y. Tammemagi
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Economics of Waste (RFF Press)
Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash
Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy
Garbage In The Cities: Refuse Reform and the Environment (Pittsburgh Hist Urban Environ)

ASIN: 0195128982

Book Description

As populations continue to increase, society produces more and more waste. Yet it is becoming increasingly difficult to build new landfills, and the existing landfills are causing significant environmental damage. Finding solutions is not simple; the problem is enormous in size, vital in terms of its impact on the environment, and complex in scope. This book provides a vast look at solid waste management in North America and seeks solutions to the waste crisis. It describes the magnitude and complexity of the problem, focusing on municipal wastes and placing them in the perspective of other wastes such as hazardous, biochemical, and radioactive debris. It describes the components of an integrated waste management program, including recycling, composting, landfills, and waste incinerators, and it presents in detail the scientific and engineering principles underlying these technologies. To illustrate both the problems and solutions of waste management programs, the authors provide seven case histories, among them the Fresh Kills (Staten Island, New York), the East Carbon Landfill (Utah), and the Lancaster County Municipal Waste Incinerator (Pennsylvania). The Waste Crisis is unique in its attempt to analyze waste management in a broader societal context and to propose solutions based on basic principles. And by doing so, it encourages readers to challenge commonly held perceptions and to seek new and better ways of dealing with waste. As such, this book deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who deals with or feels the need to confront the growing problems of waste management.

Customer Reviews:

Sustainable Future is in our hands.......2001-03-15

This book is just as fascinating as its title, that attracts much attention especially for the people dealing with waste management. To read it, one needs to be patient enough until find the most interesting chapters, which are the half last chapters. The several first chapters describe one by one facts why "monstrous" landfills are not suitable anymore for waste disposal alternatives, depicting the wide experience and knowledge of the author. It is written based on his experience in waste management activities in North America. In the end of every chapter, there topic discussions and assignments that make the readers actively involved in tracing the problems and seek for the solutions. The interactive style of each sentence also lets the reader think and try to argue or agree with the opinion of the author. For people that familiar with waste problems, introduction chapters seem queit boring, but the systematical explanantion makes it still worth to surf.

The beginning of the interesting parts of this book is the 8th chapter, "Are there better disposal methods?" The most creative ways ever are suggested, from the "make sense" one like deep underground disposal and landfill mining accompanying by incinerator and recycling program, until "exotic solutions" that includes "shooting out the waste into outer space". It seems funny, but, who knows it could be alternative that no one ever thought before. The deep comprehensive experience is shown once again in chapter"NIMBY" (Not in My Back Yard), describes the reason behind lack of communication between private and government with local people whose their settlement is to be a waste treatment or disposal area. Some useful suggestions concerning the waste management hierarchy are the new things that cannot be found in other books. The author tells what the practical managament hierarchy now (in North America), starting from disposal in landfill, recycling, reduction at soruce, and incinerator. His suggestion is the first one is reduction at source (of course), recycling and incinerator, and phase out of the near-surface landfills (other landfill methods like landfill mining and deep underground one are still tolerated, at least in the next 30 years)

Just like the author said, theory is fine, but practical experience is the heart of real learning, this book also provides case studies, ranging from Canada, New York, until success story in Sweden. The verz last part, shows the vision not only of the author, I think, but of all human race wanting desparately for better future, with green, clean, organized environment. --- Martha Maulidia

The Shape of the Future: (Vol. I) The Critical, Overarching Impact of Human Settlement Pattern on Citizens' Economic, Social and Environmental Well-being, ... in 21st Century New Urban Regions.
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Amazing book

The Shape of the Future: (Vol. I) The Critical, Overarching Impact of Human Settlement Pattern on Citizens' Economic, Social and Environmental Well-being, ... in 21st Century New Urban Regions.
E. M Risse
Manufacturer: SYNERGY/Planning, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0967810809

Product Description

This is a CD Rom version of a book already offered by Amazon.com. The CD Rom includes a PDF file with the entire book and a brief introduction to the third printing. This book has been sold by Amazon.com since Septermber 2000.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing book.......2001-01-02

The Shape of the Future is potentially the most ambitious book you'll ever read and one that will change the way you look at almost everything - transportation, politics, development, housing, societal relationships and more. Among the book's goals as outlined by author E M Risse is to 'Lay the groundwork for the development of a unified field theory of economic, social and physical human activity.' He's produced a stunning package of ideas, and in presenting his arguments for how our communities should be organized he debunks many of the common assumptions we hold about ourselves and our communities. This is an extremely well-researched book as well, quoting from (and often disagreeing with) experts such as James Howard Kuntsler, Joel Garreau and others. Risse draws from nearly every academic area - you'll find references to the works of Orwell, Freud and Machiavelli in here too. Read it to find out why they belong. This is a remarkable book and an essential resource for anyone wanting to join the debate.

Urban Future 21: A Global Agenda for 21st Century Cities

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Urban Future 21: A Global Agenda for 21st Century Cities
Peter Hall
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Edge City: Life on the New Frontier

ASIN: 0415240751

Book Description

Urban Future 21 is an entirely new and comprehensive review of the state of world urban development at the millennium and a forecast of the main issues that will dominate urban debates in the next 25 years. Prepared for the World Commission on on 21st Century Urbanization conference, it is the most significant book on cities and city planning problems to appear for many years.

Stepping up: College learning and community for a sustainable future

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Stepping up: College learning and community for a sustainable future
William M Timpson
Manufacturer: Thomson Learning and Atwood Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Deep Design: Pathways To A Livable Future

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Deep Design: Pathways To A Livable Future
David Wann
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Exploring The Way Life Works: The Science of Biology
Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
The Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line (Conscientious Commerce)
The Philosophy of Sustainable Design
The Natural Advantage of Nations: Business Opportunities, Innovation and Governance in the 21st Century

ASIN: 1559634200

Book Description

In Deep Design, David Wann explores a new way of thinking about design, one that asks "What is our ultimate goal?" before the first step has even been taken. Designs that begin with such a question -whether in products, buildings, technologies, or communities-are sensitive to living systems, and can potentially accomplish their mission without the seemingly unavoidable side effects of pollution, erosion, congestion, and stress.

Such "deep designs" meet the key criteria of renewability, recyclability, and nontoxicity. Often based on natural systems, they are easy to understand and implement, and provide more elegant approaches to getting the services and functions we need. Wann presents information gleaned from interviews with more than fifty innovative designers in a wide variety of fields, and describes numerous case studies that explain the concept and practice of deep design.

The New Barbarian Manifesto: How to Survive the Information Age
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Academic derivative work that reads like a potboiler!

A sunset not a dawn

The business-end of a crowbar

A provocative view of the Dark Side of the New Economy

The New Barbarian Manifesto: How to Survive the Information Age
Ian O. Angell , and Ian Angell
Manufacturer: Kogan Page
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21st Century Capitalism

ASIN: 0749431512

Book Description

Ian Angell, dubbed "the Angell of Doom" by The (London) Times, lays out his manifesto for the New Barbarians who will lead the economic elite into a Brave New World over the next two decades. He rejects the long-held view of information technology as our benign liberator from mundane work. Instead, he regards it as the seed for a new society, in which the winners in the knowledge economy will construct their own "smart regions" founded on libertarian principles and enlightened self-interest.

Customer Reviews:

Academic derivative work that reads like a potboiler!.......2003-12-17

This is a very cool book because the synthesis is done by a academian who writes like a potboiler novelist! The paragraphs are shock full of references to deep philosophical and academic treatises, but done in an entertaining manner. Every paragraph is like poetry. Excellent derivative work.

In a nutshell, the author is taking a theme first exposed by Alvin Toffler "Future Shock" "Third Wave" and developing it further to synthesize the way the world's economies have performed in the last 20 years.

Outstanding! Don't be put off by the seeming "facist" or "harsh" tone of some of this writing--the author is tell you how it is, not how it should be--hence the term "barbarian" in the title. The old guard will attempt to smooth over raw, naked capitalism but in the opinion of the author it will be a losing battle (I'm not so sure, since I believe most old people, having been raised by the Welfare State, will never go quietly, so it will take another generation or two to renounce the Nanny Welfare State.

I give it four stars not five because the opinions are thrown out without much argument or development. It is a derivative work where you have to understand some background first. So it's not really a beginner's book.

A sunset not a dawn.......2001-07-18

To get a handle on books like this we must understand the author's philosophy of life.For Angell, the prime purpose in life is making money, lots of money.In his view the most greedy and ruthless go-getters, the "new barbarians," should have open slather to trample on the rest of society.He thinks it is good that globalization is causing societies to disintegrate, because it represents the triumph of the new barbarians.It is instructive to note the thinkers he admires most - Friedrich Nietzsche, Friedrich von Hayek, and Ayn Rand - all right wingers who extolled the "superman" over ordinary folk. Hence Angell's views have worrying fascist implications. In his world the super-rich will rule in "smart regions," and the rest of the people can just go jump.Angell expounds the logic of globalization, but he does not address the problems caused, such as the environmental crisis.He is a spin doctor for globalization.His vision of the future is a recipe for chaos.Rather than being a man for the future, the new barbarian is a dinosaur, doing his best to pull us all down.

The business-end of a crowbar.......2000-08-21

Ever see the film `Falling Down' with Michael Douglas? Well, after a long and frustrating struggle with rank-and-file academics and bureaucrats, Ian has finally taken an intellectual crowbar to post-war socialist greenhouse.

This is not a pretty book; it is slash and burn. It represents the blinding rage of a generation who suffered in silence as Winston Smith and Joseph K. were digested by early virulent strains of political correctness. So, beware, this book is deeply offensive to lawyers and politicians and all the other anti-conceptual drones who have nested in the post-war socialist paradigm.

What gives this book its power is the changing nature of the global political economy. Here we are dealing with facts - as hard and cold as the steel rails on which the Industrial Revolution was built. Remember those poor sods who attended the Congress of Vienna in 1815? What? The end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire? Haw, haw, haw. Steam engines powering ships? Hee, hee, hee. A new economy? Ho, ho, ho. The collapse of the Russian, French, and British empires? Tears of laughter. Airplanes? Oh, please no more!

I myself do not necessarily agree with all Ian's arguments, but there is no doubt that he has drawn a true note from his violin. I do believe that Rome will indeed burn again. What will rise from the ashes is what Ian seeks to explore.

A provocative view of the Dark Side of the New Economy.......2000-03-28

Angell's work is really very good, even if the author is sometimes too heavy handed. I saw him on the BBC and he admitted that his book was aimed at stirring the pot. He does that, no doubt. Rather than the glib views of how IT will change our world, Angell suggests that IT and technological change may well have some very serious and unforeseen consequences. It is a must read for all those who blithely toss around the term e-commerce. Read this and get another view!

Alternative Urban Futures: Planning for Sustainable Development in Cities throughout the World

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Alternative Urban Futures: Planning for Sustainable Development in Cities throughout the World
Raquel Pinderhughes
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Urban Planning & Development | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0742523675

Book Description

Alternative Urban Futures challenges existing models of urban development and promotes alternative paradigms, processes, and technologies designed to fulfill human needs and limit the harmful impacts of human activities on the environment.

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