Future Cities: All That Matters
Future Cities: All That Matters

Author: Camilla Ween

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2014-06-27

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 144419612X

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THE IDEA OF A WORLD OF 10 BILLION PEOPLE, MOST OF WHOM WILL BE LIVING IN RAPIDLY EXPANDING CITIES, CAN BE A TERRIFYING PROPSECT. Add to that the effects of climate change and the scarcity of water, energy and food, and it sounds like a bleak future. Without innovation and human ingenuity, it might be, but necessity is the mother of invention, and Homo sapiens is a resourceful species. By 2030 it is predicted that between 80-90% of the world's population will be living in cities. Tackling the challenges will be complicated by pressure to develop solutions that are sustainable and include climate change mitigation measures. Despite the difficulties, some cities are already tackling the problems, policies that are emerging to meet these challenges and highlights innovations that are currently being explored. This book explains the issues that will face rapidly growing cities in the next 20 to 30 years, and how, building on sustainable practices already being introduced around the world, cities can and will grow and flourish.

Future: All That Matters
Future: All That Matters

Author: Ziauddin Sardar

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2013-10-25

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 1444190067

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In Future: All That Matters, Ziauddin Sardar shows that thinking and speculating about the future has always been a part of human history, but exploring the futures in a systematic and scientific way is a recent phenomenon. What is known variously as 'futures studies', 'futurology' or 'foresight' only emerged as a discipline during the last few decades. The study of the future, however, is not only about 'predicting' or 'forecasting' the future, which is always a perilous exercise. It is also about appreciating the potentials and possibilities, as well as risks and threats, lurking over the horizon. It can enable us both to avoid the dangers as well as shape a viable and desirable future. This book explores the exciting field of futures studies, and shows how knowledge of the future is acquired and put into practice. We examine various methods for studying the future, with the emphasis not so much on predicting specific events but on delineating alternative paths to the future. We look at some celebrated readings of the future as well as case studies where exploration of the future has been used to shape policy and planning in businesses and communities, international organisations and regional institutions, and interest and lobby groups. Finally, the book suggests why and how in an increasingly complex, uncertain and diverse world, the study of the future can help people recover their agency and help them to create the world in which they wish to live. This accessible and readable book will appeal both to students and general readers, giving a fascinating introduction to thinking about the future - and what matters most about it.

All That Matters
All That Matters

Author: Ross Fraser

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2015-02-23

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1473617308

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Get to the heart of the most talked about topics of our time. All That Matters runs the gamut of the most exciting, interesting and topical subjects of today. To provide a flavour of the All That Matters series, this exclsuive sampler provides the opening chapters from nine notable books including the following: God by Mark Vernon Love by Mark Vernon Water by Paul L. Younger Space Exploration by David Ashford Modern China by Jonanthan Clements Shakespeare's Comedies by Michael Scott Cyber Crime and Warfare by Peter Warren and Michel Streeter Philosophy by Julian Baggini Future Cities by Camilla Ween All That Matters books are written by the world's leading experts, introducing to the quick-minded and curious reader the most important topics and hottest areas of debate on the subjects that really matter.

Existentialism: All That Matters
Existentialism: All That Matters

Author: David Cerbone

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2015-06-18

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 1473601452

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WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO BE AN INDIVIDUAL? That is the question at the heart of existentialism and it informs this book's exploration of the existentialist tradition in 19th and 20th century philosophy. Existentialism: All That Matters considers each of the key figures - Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus and de Beauvoir - who all offer related, though distinct, conceptions of the task of becoming an individual. David Cerbone's book gives a fascinating introduction to existentialism and what matters most about it. ABOUT THE SERIES All That Matters books are written by the world's leading experts to introduce the most exciting and relevant topics in an accessible, readable way. From Bioethics to Future Cities and Philosophy to Terrorism, the All That Matters series covers controversial and engaging subjects from science, philosophy, history, religion and politics. The authors are world-class academics or leading public intellectuals, on a mission to bring the most interesting and challenging areas of their subject to new readers.

Intelligence: All That Matters
Intelligence: All That Matters

Author: Stuart Ritchie

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2015-06-18

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 144479180X

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There is a strange disconnect between the scientific consensus and the public mind on intelligence testing. Just mention IQ testing in polite company, and you'll sternly be informed that IQ tests don't measure anything "real", and only reflect how good you are at doing IQ tests; that they ignore important traits like "emotional intelligence" and "multiple intelligences"; and that those who are interested in IQ testing must be elitists, or maybe something more sinister. Yet the scientific evidence is clear: IQ tests are extraordinarily useful. IQ scores are related to a huge variety of important life outcomes like educational success, income, and even life expectancy, and biological studies have shown they are genetically influenced and linked to measures of the brain. Studies of intelligence and IQ are regularly published in the world's top scientific journals. This book will offer an entertaining introduction to the state of the art in intelligence and IQ, and will show how we have arrived at what we know from a century's research. It will engage head-on with many of the criticisms of IQ testing by describing the latest high-quality scientific research, but will not be a simple point-by-point rebuttal: it will make a positive case for IQ research, focusing on the potential benefits for society that a better understanding of intelligence can bring.

The City of Tomorrow
The City of Tomorrow

Author: Carlo Ratti

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2016-06-28

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 0300221134

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Since cities emerged ten thousand years ago, they have become one of the most impressive artifacts of humanity. But their evolution has been anything but linear—cities have gone through moments of radical change, turning points that redefine their very essence. In this book, a renowned architect and urban planner who studies the intersection of cities and technology argues that we are in such a moment. The authors explain some of the forces behind urban change and offer new visions of the many possibilities for tomorrow’s city. Pervasive digital systems that layer our cities are transforming urban life. The authors provide a front-row seat to this change. Their work at the MIT Senseable City Laboratory allows experimentation and implementation of a variety of urban initiatives and concepts, from assistive condition-monitoring bicycles to trash with embedded tracking sensors, from mobility to energy, from participation to production. They call for a new approach to envisioning cities: futurecraft, a symbiotic development of urban ideas by designers and the public. With such participation, we can collectively imagine, examine, choose, and shape the most desirable future of our cities.

Future Cities
Future Cities

Author: Camilla Ween

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781785390265

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In Future Cities: All that Matters, Camilla Ween outlines the challenges of meeting the anticipated growth of world cities over the next few decades.

The Spirit of Cities
The Spirit of Cities

Author: Daniel A. Bell

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2013-10-27

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 0691159696

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A lively and personal book that returns the city to political thought Cities shape the lives and outlooks of billions of people, yet they have been overshadowed in contemporary political thought by nation-states, identity groups, and concepts like justice and freedom. The Spirit of Cities revives the classical idea that a city expresses its own distinctive ethos or values. In the ancient world, Athens was synonymous with democracy and Sparta represented military discipline. In this original and engaging book, Daniel Bell and Avner de-Shalit explore how this classical idea can be applied to today's cities, and they explain why philosophy and the social sciences need to rediscover the spirit of cities. Bell and de-Shalit look at nine modern cities and the prevailing ethos that distinguishes each one. The cities are Jerusalem (religion), Montreal (language), Singapore (nation building), Hong Kong (materialism), Beijing (political power), Oxford (learning), Berlin (tolerance and intolerance), Paris (romance), and New York (ambition). Bell and de-Shalit draw upon the richly varied histories of each city, as well as novels, poems, biographies, tourist guides, architectural landmarks, and the authors' own personal reflections and insights. They show how the ethos of each city is expressed in political, cultural, and economic life, and also how pride in a city's ethos can oppose the homogenizing tendencies of globalization and curb the excesses of nationalism. The Spirit of Cities is unreservedly impressionistic. Combining strolling and storytelling with cutting-edge theory, the book encourages debate and opens up new avenues of inquiry in philosophy and the social sciences. It is a must-read for lovers of cities everywhere. In a new preface, Bell and de-Shalit further develop their idea of "civicism," the pride city dwellers feel for their city and its ethos over that of others.

The Past and Future City
The Past and Future City

Author: Stephanie Meeks

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2016-10-04

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 161091709X

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At its most basic, historic preservation is about keeping old places alive, in active use, and relevant to the needs of communities today. As cities across America experience a remarkable renaissance, and more and more young, diverse families choose to live, work, and play in historic neighborhoods, the promise and potential of using our older and historic buildings to revitalize our cities is stronger than ever. This urban resurgence is a national phenomenon, boosting cities from Cleveland to Buffalo and Portland to Pittsburgh. Experts offer a range of theories on what is driving the return to the city—from the impact of the recent housing crisis to a desire to be socially engaged, live near work, and reduce automobile use. But there’s also more to it. Time and again, when asked why they moved to the city, people talk about the desire to live somewhere distinctive, to be some place rather than no place. Often these distinguishing urban landmarks are exciting neighborhoods—Miami boasts its Art Deco district, New Orleans the French Quarter. Sometimes, as in the case of Baltimore’s historic rowhouses, the most distinguishing feature is the urban fabric itself. While many aspects of this urban resurgence are a cause for celebration, the changes have also brought to the forefront issues of access, affordable housing, inequality, sustainability, and how we should commemorate difficult history. This book speaks directly to all of these issues. In The Past and Future City, Stephanie Meeks, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, describes in detail, and with unique empirical research, the many ways that saving and restoring historic fabric can help a city create thriving neighborhoods, good jobs, and a vibrant economy. She explains the critical importance of preservation for all our communities, the ways the historic preservation field has evolved to embrace the challenges of the twenty-first century, and the innovative work being done in the preservation space now. This book is for anyone who cares about cities, places, and saving America’s diverse stories, in a way that will bring us together and help us better understand our past, present, and future.

Living Well Now and in the Future
Living Well Now and in the Future

Author: Randall Curren

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2017-03-24

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 0262339110

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A philosopher and a scientist propose that sustainability can be understood as living well together without diminishing opportunity to live well in the future. Most people acknowledge the profound importance of sustainability, but few can define it. We are ethically bound to live sustainably for the sake of future generations, but what does that mean? In this book Randall Curren, a philosopher, and Ellen Metzger, a scientist, clarify normative aspects of sustainability. Combining their perspectives, they propose that sustainability can be understood as the art of living well together without diminishing opportunity to live well in the future. Curren and Metzger lay out the nature and value of sustainability, survey the problems, catalog the obstacles, and identify the kind of efforts needed to overcome them. They formulate an ethic of sustainability with lessons for government, organizations, and individuals, and illustrate key ideas with three case studies. Curren and Metzger put intergenerational justice at the heart of sustainability; discuss the need for fair (as opposed to coercive) terms of cooperation to create norms, institutions, and practices conducive to sustainability; formulate a framework for a fundamental ethic of sustainability derived from core components of common morality; and emphasize the importance of sustainability education. The three illustrative case studies focus on the management of energy, water, and food systems, examining the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Australia's National Water Management System, and patterns of food production in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia.