Free Download Samina Raja, "Planning for Equitable Urban Agriculture in the United States: Future Directions for a New Ethic in City Building"
English | ISBN: 3031320786 | 2025 | 597 pages | EPUB | 11 MB
This open access book, building on the legacy of food systems scholar and advocate, Jerome Kaufman, examines the potential and pitfalls of planning for urban agriculture (UA) in the United States, especially in how questions of ethics and equity are addressed. The book is organized into six sections. Written by a team of scholars and practitioners, the book covers a comprehensive array of topics ranging from theory to practice of planning for equitable urban agriculture. Section 1 makes the case for re-imagining agriculture as central to urban landscapes, and unpacks why, how, and when planning should support UA, and more broadly food systems. Section 2, written by early career and seasoned scholars, provides a theoretical foundation for the book. Section 3, written by teams of scholars and community partners, examines how civic agriculture is unfolding across urban landscapes, led largely by community organizations. Section 4, written by planning practitionersand scholars, documents local government planning tied to urban agriculture, focusing especially on how they address questions of equity. Section 5 explores UA as a locus of pedagogy of equity. Section 6 places the UA movement in the US within a global context, and concludes with ideas and challenges for the future. The book concludes with a call for planning as public nurturance - an approach that can be illustrated through urban agriculture. Planning as public nurturance is a value-explicit process that centers an ethics of care, especially protecting the interests of publics that are marginalized. It builds the capacity of marginalized groups to authentically co-design and participate in planning/policy processes. Such a planning approach requires that progress toward equitable outcomes is consistently evaluated through accountability measures. And, finally, such an approach requires attention to structural and institutional inequities. Addressing these four elements is more likelyto create a condition under which urban agriculture may be used as a lever in the planning and development of more just and equitable cities.

Free Download Antonio Carlos Zambroni de Souza, "Planning and Operation of Active Distribution Networks: Technical, Social and Environmental Aspects "
English | ISBN: 3030908119 | 2022 | 532 pages | EPUB | 45 MB
This book offers a broad and detailed view about how traditional distribution systems are evolving smart/active systems. The reader will be able to share the view of a number of researchers directly involved in this field. For this sake, philosophical discussions are enriched by the presentation of theoretical and computational tools. A senior reader may incorporate some concepts not available during his/her graduation process, whereas new Engineers may have contact with some material that may be essential to his/her practice as professionals.

Free Download S. K. Kulshrestha, "Planning Indian Megacity Regions: Spatial Model, Development Dynamics and Future Advances "
English | ISBN: 9811654689 | 2022 | 213 pages | EPUB | 9 MB
This book focuses on spatial planning of megacities that are growing in Asia, Africa, and America. These cities are not be seen in isolation from their respective influence regions. They complement each other. Most of the solutions to the problems of such cities are found in their respective regions, and, on the other hand, the regions derive their strength from their respective megacities. There is a need for promoting integrated spatial planning of megacity regions. The five chapters in this book highlight the spatial planning of such regions.

Free Download Kwi-Gon Kim, "Planning Climate Smart and Wise Cities: A Multidisciplinary Approach "
English | ISBN: 3030801640 | 2022 | 500 pages | EPUB | 138 MB
This book provides information that facilitates integrated climate actions in cities, leveraging disruptive technologies, business models, policies, financing, and leadership solutions. It fosters the development of climate smart and wise cities. It reviews the major developments of climate actions in cities and combines climate environment and energy technology, policy and financing instruments. A range of distinguished authors assess the experiences thus far and also consider future development from both theoretical and practical perspectives. They also discuss many policy and technical options, including climate smart and wise city planning, inclusion of urban nature, international and national carbon market mechanisms and measuring its impact and digital transformation. Moreover, attention is paid to the role of natural principles, the role of transparency principles and to aspects of democratic climate governance within a climate action scheme. This book makes clear that thecarbon neutrality, sustainability, circularity, efficiency, connectivity and resiliency of cities depend to a large extent on the specific digital technologies and the leadership reshaping our cities.

Free Download Davide Del Curto, "Planned Conservation of 20th-century Architecture: Research in Italy and Brazil "
English | ISBN: 3031678176 | 2024 | 132 pages | EPUB | 31 MB
This book deals with the planned conservation of modern architecture and proposes a comparative discussion between eight research programs recently completed in Italy and Brazil as part of the "Keeping It Modern" program by means of which the Getty Foundation supported the drafting of conservation management planning for major architectural masterpieces of the twentieth-century worldwide, between 2014 and 2020. The scientific results of this program are maturing and also resulting in publications promoted by universities and research centers involved by the Getty Foundation. Within this framework of initiatives, we dedicate this book to the comparison among research projects carried out in Italy and Brazil, starting from the distinctive characteristics that modern architecture has gained in the two countries and evaluating the impact that the Conservation Management Plans on the cultural scenario of each country and on the corresponding protection systems. We asked the co-authors to reconsider the research experience faced within the KIM program, overcoming their description, and proposed to describe its specific reflection on the role that management plans play for twentieth-century architecture and on how the outcomes of this experience have contributed to the debate on the protection of contemporary architecture. Finally, the book presents many transversal topics and highlights numerous similarities in approach between the two countries, but also profound differences in the way of understanding conservation of twentieth-century architectural heritage.

Free Download Pamila Gupta, "Planetary Hinterlands: Extraction, Abandonment and Care "
English | ISBN: 3031242424 | 2024 | 357 pages | EPUB | 6 MB
This open access book considers the concept of the hinterland as a crucial tool for understanding the global and planetary present as a time defined by the lasting legacies of colonialism, increasing labor precarity under late capitalist regimes, and looming climate disasters. Traditionally seen to serve a (colonial) port or market town, the hinterland here becomes a lens to attend to the times and spaces shaped and experienced across the received categories of the urban, rural, wilderness or nature. In straddling these categories, the concept of the hinterland foregrounds the human and more-than-human lively processes and forms of care that go on even in sites defined by capitalist extraction and political abandonment. Bringing together scholars from the humanities and social sciences, the book rethinks hinterland materialities, affectivities, and ecologies across places and cultural imaginations, Global North and South, urban and rural, and land and water.

Free Download Walter Leal Filho, "Planetary Health and Climate Change: Understanding the Impacts of Climate Change to the Well-Being of Our Planet "
English | ISBN: 3031727398 | 2024 | 467 pages | EPUB | 62 MB
This book aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how climate change affects planetary health and what this means for our collective future. In recent years, the discourse surrounding climate change has grown increasingly urgent and for good reasons. Our planet is undergoing unprecedented transformations driven by human activities, which are altering the delicate balance of our ecosystems. The term "planetary health" has emerged to encapsulate the interdependent relationship between the health of human populations and the health of the natural systems on which we depend. The genesis of this book lies in a simple yet profound realization: the well-being of our planet is inextricably linked to our own well-being. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we consume―all are products of a complex web of environmental processes that are now being disrupted by climate change. As temperatures rise, sea levels increase, and weather patterns become more erratic, the ripple effects touch every aspect of life on Earth, from human health to biodiversity, from food security to economic stability. The chapters within this book are contributions from leading experts across various fields―climate science, ecology, medicine, economics, and social sciences―each providing unique insights into the multifaceted impacts of climate change. We explore the scientific evidence of climate change and discuss the consequences for natural and human systems and potential solutions that can help mitigate these impacts. This interdisciplinary approach is needed, as the challenges posed by climate change are complex and interconnected, requiring holistic and collaborative strategies. This book does not merely catalog the problems; it also focuses on solutions. From innovative technologies to policy frameworks and grassroots movements, there are numerous pathways to a more sustainable and equitable future. The transition to a low-carbon economy, the restoration of degraded ecosystems, and the implementation of effective public health strategies are just a few of the measures that can help us navigate the challenges ahead. With its engaging narrative, richly detailed analysis, and forward-looking perspective, the book is an essential read for anyone concerned about the fate of our planet and the critical role of climate change in influencing it. It serves as a clarion call to action, urging readers to consider the legacy we wish to leave for future generations.

Free Download Luciano Luis Rasia, "Plains Vizcachas: Biology and Evolution of a Peculiar Neotropical Caviomorph Rodent"
English | ISBN: 3031494865 | 2024 | 400 pages | EPUB | 89 MB
The plains vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus) is a remarkable rodent of the Neotropic given several peculiar aspects of its biology, some of them quite unique among rodents or even among mammals. This book gathers specialists studying plains vizcachas from very different approaches, including paleontology, systematics, morphology, physiology, development and conservation. It is divided in two Parts, 1) Evolutionary History, and 2) Morphology, Development and Physiology. It will surely be a required reading for any researcher working with caviomorph rodents, mastozoology of the Neotropics or internal anatomy and physiology of mammals.

Free Download Gabriela Quintana Vigiola, "Place, Catholicism and Violence: The Construction of Place in Caracas' Barrios"
English | ISBN: 9819946883 | 2024 | 212 pages | EPUB | 54 MB
This book explores the interwoven nature of place, Catholicism and violence in Caracas' barrios. Using interdisciplinary perspectives to investigate themes of urban space, meaning as a psychosocial construct, criminal violence, and religiosity as culture, this book uncovers the underlying complexities of turning spaces into places through the built form, activities in the urban space and the meanings associated with it. Fundamental elements in the construction of place are used to understand the ways in which barrio residents conceive and construct the physicality of the private, public and religious spaces; how residents use the physical spaces of the barrios; and the psychosocial meanings residents associate with the spaces and activities. Using rich qualitative data and a case study design, the book relies on audio-visual data and interviews with organisers, residents and key participants in Petare, the largest barrio conglomeration in Caracas and Venezuela. Qualitative thematic analysis of participants' experiences of Catholicism, violence and, ultimately, the construction of place exposes a unique argument: that meaningful urban spaces are embedded with emotions, memories, relationships, experiences and meanings, which turn them into places.

Free Download Sarah Street, "Pinewood: Anatomy of a Film Studio in Post-war Britain"
English | ISBN: 3031513061 | 2024 | 196 pages | EPUB | 38 MB
This open access book examines how Pinewood came to be Britain's dominant film studio complex, focusing on key years following the Second World War. It presents a revisionist, micro history of the studio and its longevity during a particularly turbulentperiod, explaining Pinewood's survival at a time when other major film studios such as Denham closed. This book also provides contemporary insights into how Pinewood's technologies, practices, and filmmaking methods compared to Hollywood's. Thirteen films produced in1946-47 are analysed in detail, tracking how economic pressures engendered many creative techniques and innovative technologies. Prevailing cultures of management and labour organization are foregrounded, as well as insights into being a studio employee. These are vividly brought to life through an in-depthfocus on the in-house studio magazine Pinewood Merry-Go-Round, which provides rare details of sports and leisure activities organized at the studios.