Environment and the City: (Routledge Introductions to Environment: Environment and Society Texts)

For the first time at the beginning of the twenty-first century, urban dwellers outnumber rural residents and this trend is set to continue. Consequently one of the most pressing issues of our time is how to square the social and economic development of cities with their environmental limits and those of the wider environment. The theme of the environment and city is topical at every level, from the politics of global trade to local community networks. Environment and the City looks at the evolution of cities in the developed and the developing world and the implications for resource consumption and environmental impacts. It takes a cross-cutting approach with new thinking on multiple geographies – the configuration of networks, exclusion, consumption, risk and ecological footprint. Urban environmental themes and their related social, economic and political agendas are outlined. In turn the environmental impacts and environmental agendas relating to key sectors of the urban economy are discussed. The global context to such issues is then explored before the practical tools and methods of urban environmental management are investigated. The theme of the sustainable city emerges from this – not so much as a standard menu, but as a learning process between all sections of society. This book, a valuable resource, provides a concise, accessible route map for all students interested in the environmental issues emanating from our urban society. Written to aid student understanding, the easily navigable text features boxed practical examples, discussion points, signposts to reading and websites, and a glossary.

Table of Contents:
Part 1: The Human Urban Environment 1. Introduction 2. The Human Urban Environment: Scope & Scale 3. Key Themes in the Human Urban Environment 4. Cities in Evolution: Human Urban Environment Past & Future 5. Cities in the Global Village: Urban Environments in Context Part 2: From Causes to Effects 6. The Urban Physical Environment 7. City Structure & Fabric: The Urban Built Environment 8. Cities in a Global Marketplace: The Economic Urban Environment 9. Community & Lifestyle: The Social Urban Environment Part 3: From Problems to Solutions 10. What Next?: Methods & Tools for the Urban Environment 11. Towards Sustainable Cities & Regions 12. Appendices

About the Author :
Peter W. Ravetz Roberts, Clive George, Joe Howe

Review :
Reading this book may help dispel some myths and misunderstandings about cities and should give an enhanced appreciation of how the interconnections between increasingly urban lives and their environmental impacts and implications for sustainability fit together. Mike Clark, University of Central Lancashire, UK This is a very timely contribution to the debate around sustainable cities. The authors work to explore interdependent relationships through flows of resources, power and ideologies of sustainable cities in both the developed and developing world. As such the book deserves to be read widely not just by academics, but also by policy makers and practitioners. Professor David Gibbs, University of Hull, UK