How should regional cities develop regional development strategies for their sustainable future? How can such strategies work effectively? Regional cities are now at a crossroads: will they decline or be regenerated under the impacts of globalization? Their sustainable regeneration as creative regional centers will play a decisive role in their sustainable development as a whole, but only with viable regional spatial strategies that strengthen the network of cities and their hinterlands. The concern here lies in urban regeneration and strategic spatial planning at the city-region level....

All cities are vulnerable. They have economically, socially, institutionally vulnerable urban space.

In developing countries, vulnerable urban space can be observed typically as substandard informal settlements such as slums or areas occupied by squatters. At present, slum dwellers comprise one-third of the world's urban population of 3 billion, and it has been estimated that the number of slum dwellers will double in the next 30 years if no effective action is taken. Improvement of vulnerable urban areas, which is one of the targets of Millennium Development Goals, is thus an...

This book considers the use of spatial data infrastructure in both the study and practice of urban regeneration. Topics range from the development of spatial data infrastructure to its application to urban regeneration studies, so that readers can grasp the whole process of urban regeneration with that infrastructure. Undergraduate and graduate students of city planning, geography, urban economics, and architecture will benefit from reading the book, even with limited knowledge of or experience in computer science. Urban planners can obtain practical information about the application of...

The importance of urban environmental management in the face of formidable challenges is being increasingly highlighted. This book offers a comprehensive overview of science and policy, with discussion of relevant traditional and contemporary technologies. Considering the complexity of urban environmental management, the book deals with environmental media such as water, waste, and energy from the individual building level to regional and global levels. In three major sections - Water Environment, Material Flow and Risk, Heat and Energy Management - environmental issues, policy needs, and...

In 2007, the world's urban population surpassed the number of people living in rural areas and is still growing. The number of city dwellers who do not have access to piped water and rely on groundwater is also increasing. In many Asian cities, groundwater is not only the source of domestic water but also an important resource for industrial development, making better management of groundwater resources essential for sustainable development. Because groundwater is easier to access and costs less than water from piped systems, groundwater abstraction cannot be easily regulated. Policies for...

This book deals with theories and technologies for longevity, maintenance, disaster prevention, risk management, renovation and recycling of infrastructure as well as historical and cultural approaches to city and architectural planning. Essential knowledge for comprehensive urban stock management is included for an easy understanding of the utilization, operation, and planning of urban stock. Among the topics are conservation of historical heritages and modern stocks, risk assessment, management and monitoring of stocks, the disaster-resistant city, and recycling of construction...

Systems of transportation long ago developed out of the profound human need to connect and communicate. Transport today is still the only means for the physical movement of goods and people. Alongside the evolution of transportation and communication technologies, the astounding phenomenon of urbanization has taken place. Cities have grown faster and larger, absorbing vast influxes of dwellers who seek convenient and comfortable lifestyles with the required fast, cheap, and safe systems of transport. Of the world's megacities, with populations of more than ten million, over half are in...

Systems of transportation long ago developed out of the profound human need to connect and communicate. Transport today is still the only means for the physical movement of goods and people. Alongside the evolution of transportation and communication technologies, the astounding phenomenon of urbanization has taken place. Cities have grown faster and larger, absorbing vast influxes of dwellers who seek convenient and comfortable lifestyles with the required fast, cheap, and safe systems of transport. Of the world's megacities, with populations of more than ten million, over half are in...