Settlement areas today can no longer be aptly described as either "urban" or "rural". We now live in sprawling conglomerations, collages of urban, suburban, and rural elements. New political solutions need to be found, challenging the institutional framework of federalism and the concept of local government. Commissioned by the foundation 'avenir suisse' (Think Tank for Economic and Social Issues), this publication gathers contributions by experts from the fields of sociology, geography, politics, economics and architecture, including Winy Maas' (MVRDV) vision for a Switzerland of the future. Whilst focusing on Switzerland as a case study, this book is a thought-provoking report on the gradual changes taking place in all industrialised countries. Angelus Eisinger teaches at the Department of Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Michael Schneider is the project leader at 'avenir suisse'.

Designing a new national map of urban topography for Switzerland. The classic volume Switzerland. An Urban Portrait was published in three languages by Birkhäuser Verlag in 2005 and has lost none of its relevance to this day. The result of several years of research by ETH Studio Basel, this three-volume work contains explorations of the multiple layers and facets of Swiss towns and cities by renowned architects Roger Diener, Jacques Herzog, Marcel Meili, Pierre de Meuron, and Christian Schmid, as well as possible and/or desirable scenarios for the future development of country’s main cities and its Alpine region. It also includes maps of urban topography. Leading Swiss architects examine Switzerland’s built environment An important contribution to the discussion of how Switzerland might look in the future Visionary urban topographies in a globalized world

An exploration of the Evolutionary City by simulating the challenges of urban growth, decline, and vitality.

This book provides the first extensive examination and analysis of the use of the urbanscape during the disaster process, by connecting its elements throughout disaster phases: the pre-disaster phase, consisting of reduction in form of prevention and mitigation; the disaster event phase, consisting of the disaster impact followed by the disaster effects; and the post-disaster phase, consisting of the post-disaster recovery. This work includes the analysis of 18 disaster case studies worldwide, of which 12 case studies are within the natural and 6 case studies within the man-made disaster category. The criteria for choosing these examples is based on the division into natural and man-made disaster subcategories and the period of their occurrence, from 1991 to 2021. The main purpose of this comparative analysis is to reveal the use of the urbanscape during the disaster process, through the role of its open public spaces during each disaster phase in both natural and man-made disaster categories. The book is a useful read for researchers and students of disaster management.

SOCIAL FORECASTING, FUTUROLOGY. AUSTRALIAN. Perth, a city of 1.5 million relatively complacent people, is changing at a phenomenal rate. Latest predictions are that the city will grow from 1.5 million people to 4.2 million by 2056. To meet this increase the entire city and its infrastructure needs to double in the next 4 decades. This will have huge consequences for the culture and ecology of the city: Perths long term survival is at stake. The book is designed to help the community visualize the results of planning decisions and get everyone involved in the debate about how the city should grow. This is an important and timely book for Perth, but it also presents a model piece of research that could be emulated in any city experiencing rapid change.

This book represents the fruits of a year long forum carried out in the Delft School of Design (Faculty of Architecture, University of Technology Delft). The papers in this collection are gathered from renowned visiting scholars, faculty members, and doctoral candidates who contributed to workshops, seminars and lectures. The essays contained in this volume contribute to matters which have come to increasingly shift our understanding of architecture and urbanism. The authors offer insight on urban processes and the aesthetic challenge for contemporary design in relation to image, technology and life sciences. Contributions include discussion on: the structure of the network city in terms of temporal manipulations; the virtual emergence and resilience of contemporary urban place in the context of Beijing; the practice of the 'production of space' is detailed with a study of Nowa Huta, Poland, a post communist city and a phenomenological account of habitat and the urban body is presented in relation to Bogotá

The Routledge Handbook on Historic Urban Landscapes in the Asia-Pacific sheds light onto the balancing act of urban heritage management, focusing specifically on the Asia-Pacific regions in which this challenge is imminent and in need of effective solutions. Urban heritage, while being threatened amid myriad forces of global and ecological change, provides a vital social, cultural, and economic asset for regeneration and sustenance of liveability of inhabited urban areas worldwide. This six-part volume takes a critical look at the concept of Historic Urban Landscapes, the approach that UNESCO promotes to achieve holistic management of urban heritage, through the lens of issues, prospects, and experiences of urban regeneration of the selected geo-cultural context. It further discusses the difficult task that heritage managers encounter in conceptualizing, mapping, curating, and sustaining the plurality, poetics, and politics of urban heritage of the regions in question. The connective thesis that weaves the chapters in this volume together reinforces for readers that the management of urban heritage considers cities as dynamic entities, palimpsests of historical memories, collages of social diversity, territories of contested identities, and sites for sustainable liveability. Throughout this edited collection, chapters argue for recognizing the totality of the eco-cultural urban fabric, embracing change, building social cohesion, and initiating strategic socio-economic progress in the conservation of Historic Urban Landscapes. Containing thirty-seven contributions written by leading regional experts, and illustrated with over 200 black and white images and tables, this volume provides a much-needed resource on Historic Urban Landscapes for students, scholars, and researchers.

A new 21st century urban phenomenon is emerging: the networked polycentric mega-city region. Developed around one or more cities of global status, it is characterized by a cluster of cities and towns, physically separate but intensively networked in a complex spatial division of labour. This book describes and analyses eight such regions in North West Europe. For the first time, this work shows how businesses interrelate and communicate in geographical space - within each region, between them, and with the wider world. It goes on to demonstrate the profound consequences for spatial planning and regional development in Europe - and, by implication, other similar urban regions of the world. The Polycentric Metropolis introduces the concept of a mega-city region, analyses its characteristics, examines the issues surrounding regional identities, and discusses policy ramifications and outcomes for infrastructure, transport systems and regulation. Packed with high quality maps, case study data and written in a clear style by highly experienced authors, this will be an insightful and significant analysis suitable for professionals in urban planning and policy, environmental consultancies, business and investment communities, technical libraries, and students in urban studies, geography, economics and town/spatial planning.

As part of the urbanization process, suburban development involves the conversion of rural land to urban use. When discussing the suburbs, most writers focus on particular countries in the northern hemisphere, implying that patterns and processes elsewhere are fundamentally different. The purpose of The Suburban Land Question is to identify the common elements of suburban development, focusing on issues associated with the scale and pace of rapid urbanization around the world. Editors Richard Harris and Ute Lehrer and a diverse group of contributors draw on a variety of sources, including official data, planning documents, newspapers, interviews, photographs, and field observations to explore the pattern, process, and planning of suburban land development. Featuring case studies from major world regions, including China, India, Latin America, South Africa, as well as France, Austria, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada, the volume identifies and discusses the peculiarly transitional character of suburban land. In addition to place and time, The Suburban Land Question addresses the many elements that distinguish land development in urban fringe areas, including economy, social infrastructure, and legality.

Review: "Balancing form with function, the designs featured in this book cover a wide array of elements, from traditional park benches and tree planters to breathtaking lighting designs and pedestrian crossings. Inside, you'll see some of the focal points of the world's most innovative urban design projects, including: parks, streets, bridges, and squares."--BOOK JACKET