Most of the world's population now lives in cities. So if we are to address the problems of environmental deterioration and peak oil adequately, the city has to be a major focus of attention. Ecocities is about re-building cities and towns based on ecological principles for the long term sustainability, cultural vitality and health of the Earth's biosphere. Unique in the literature is the book's insight that the form of the city really matters –...

"More than half the world's population live in cities, and that number is rising. Find out how we can create buildings and cities without harming the environment in this informative title. The growth of cities can lead to overcrowding, pollution from transportation and factories, and the release of greenhouse gases from buildings. Case studies show how scientists, architects, and planners are investigating how to build more energy-efficient houses...

This program examines one of the world's largest urban redevelopment schemes and schows how a run down area of a city can be renewed. Sydney is Australia's largest city. The population of over 4 million is spread over one of the largest suburban areas of any city in the world. The State Government has a policy of urban consolidation to increase the densities in inner suburbs and reduce urban sprawl. The program examines the growth of Sydney and also...

"The buildings grow. And the city expands. And the people of the land are starting to behave abnormally. Or perhaps theyve always behaved that way, and its normality thats at fault. And the king of the land confers with his best friend, who happens to be his closest advisor, who also happens to be a talking cat. But thats all perfectly natural and not at all weird. And when chief architect Iona wakes from a long period...

My Brooklyn follows director Kelly Anderson's journey, as a Brooklyn gentrifier, to understand the forces reshaping her neighborhood. The film documents the redevelopment of Fulton Mall, a bustling African-American and Caribbean commercial district that - despite its status as the third most profitable shopping area in New York City - is maligned for its inability to appeal to the affluent residents who have come to live around it. As a hundred small...

Vincent Scully is likely the best-known living art historian in the United States today. Until recently, he was still teaching at his alma mater, Yale University, where a wide variety of students were drawn to his undergraduate history of art and architecture courses. For years, Scully's deep engagement with the subject and his passionate presentation style have inspired his students to value these subjects. Many of them have gone on to become prominent...

"A stunningly original, lushly illustrated vision for a Green Utopia, published on the 500th anniversary of the original Big Idea. Five hundred years ago a powerful new word was unleashed upon the world when Thomas More published his book Utopia, about an island paradise far away from his troubled land. It was an instant hit, and the literati across Europe couldn't get enough of its blend of social fantasy with a deep desire for a better world. Five...

The author postulates that social infrastructure could be key to bridging the divisions of racial, religious, and cultural lines, and could help communities solve challenges such as isolation, crime, education, addiction, political polarization, and climate change.

"Cities, more than ever, are the engines of our economies and the ecosystems in which our lives play out. This means that questions about the perfectibility and sustainability of urban life are all the more urgent. Joe Berridge, one of the world's leading urban planners, takes us on an insider's tour of the world's largest and most diverse cities, from New York to London, Shanghai to Singapore, Toronto to Sydney, to examine what is working and not...