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From the ancient glories of Bam and Varanasi to the teeming conurbations of Tokyo and Sao Paulo, cities are amongst our greatest creations. Yet at the start of the twenty-first century, with cities now home to more than half the world's population, there is increasing concern over their unchecked expansion and the detrimental effect this is having on the planet. This unfettered growth is affecting every ecosystem on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains, as induced climate change and ever increasing demands upon the world's resources take effect. As the pace of urbanization quickens, especially in the developing world, how can we make the world's cities more sustainable? How can we prepare new urban areas for future environmental challenges ? In Cities: An Environmental History, leading geographer Ian Douglas reveals the story of cities - why they exist, how they have evolved, and the problems they have encountered. In particular he explores efforts to make cities livable, to enable the urban environment to be enjoyed by its inhabitants. The author shows how, from the very beginning, environmental management played a key role in urban life, particularly in the use of water in Roman and Arab cities. He examines the concept of the city as an ecosystem and the holistic ideas about the functioning of the city that guided some planners, architects and urban managers in their responses to the worst consequences of nineteenth-century urban development. He then addresses specific problems associated with urban life, such as noise and air pollution, water supply and waste management, as well as exploring attempts at reducing the vulnerability of cities to hazards. The provision of green spaces, as well as campaigns to introduce parks, to preserve urban woodlands, and give city dwellers the opportunity to enjoy wildlife, are included. In a final chapter Professor Douglas considers strategies to make cities more sustainable and help them adapt to climate change. He reviews initiatives to reduce commuting and food miles and to re-use and recycle waste, looks at sustainable housing, energy conservation and dual water systems, and discuses attempts to retrofit existing cities in response to likely environmental change in the remainder of the twenty-first century. The result is a comprehensive account of one of humanity's greatest achievements yet a telling tale of one of our most pressing environmental concerns.

Sociology of environment --- Environmental protection. Environmental technology --- Economic geography --- City planning --- Sustainable urban development --- Cities and towns --- Urban ecology (Sociology) --- Environmental aspects --- Growth --- City planning - Environmental aspects --- Cities and towns - Growth - Environmental aspects

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Landforms --- Landforms. --- Erosion. --- Hydrology. --- Tropics.

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This volume synthesizes and analyzes thirty years of hydrological research in the Danum Valley Conservation Area, a lowland dipterocarp rainforest in Sabah, Malaysia. Ian Douglas explores the role of water in the rainforest ecosystem, setting out the ecological, climatological and geological context of present-day hydrological processes, soil erosion and stream sedimentation. He emphasizes the role of extreme events and natural disturbances in sediment supplies and the evolution of drainage pathways and explains the pathways of rainfall and stream sediment. Douglas then explores the impacts caused by logging, the extreme pulses of sedimentation and the effects of log removal and logging road construction, examining the effects of major storms in the 20 years after tree harvesting. Methods of minimizing logging damage to soils and streams are discussed and the effects on flora and fauns are considered.

Hydrosphere --- General ecology and biosociology --- Water supply. Water treatment. Water pollution --- Environmental protection. Environmental technology --- Forestry --- hydrologie --- water --- milieuzorg --- bossen --- ecosystemen

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Urban Ecology : An Introduction seeks to open the reader's mind and eyes to the way in which nature permeates everyday urban living, and how it has to be understood, cared for, and managed in order to make our towns and cities healthier places to visit and in which to live and work. The authors examine how nature can improve our physical and mental health, the air we breathe and the waters we use, as well as boosting our enjoyment of parks and gardens. Urban Ecology sets out the science that underlies the changing natural scene and the tools used to ensure that cities become both capable of adapting to climate change and more beautiful and resilient.The book begins with a discussion of the nature of urban places and the role of nature in towns and cities. Part 1 looks at the context and content of urban ecology, its relationship to other foci of interest within ecology and other environmental sciences, and the character of city landscapes and ecosystems. In Part 2 the authors set out the physical and chemical components of urban ecosystems and ecological processes, including urban weather and climate, urban geomorphology and soils, urban hydrology and urban biogeochemical cycles. In Part 3 urban habitats, urban flora and fauna, and the effects of, deliberate and inadvertent human action on urban biota are examined. Part 4 contains an exploration of the identification and assessment of ecosystem services in urban areas, emphasising economic evaluation, the importance of urban nature for human health and well-being, and restoration ecology and creative conservation. Finally, in Part 5 the tasks for urban ecologists in optimising and sustaining urban ecosystems, providing for nature in cities, adapting to climate change and in developing the urban future in a more sustainable manner are set out.Within the 16 chapters of the book - in which examples from around the world are drawn upon - the authors explore current practice and future alternatives, set out procedures for ecological assessment and evaluation, suggest student activities and discussion topics, provide recommended reading and an extensive bibliography. The book contains more than 150 tables and over 150 photographs and diagrams.

urban development --- ecology --- human ecology --- Environmental planning --- sustainable development --- Human ecology. Social biology --- Landschapsecologie --- Natuur ; steden --- Urban ecology (Sociology) --- City planning --- Sustainable development --- Écologie urbaine. --- Urbanisme durable. --- Développement durable. --- Environmental aspects --- Écologie urbaine. --- Développement durable.