The sustainability challenges of yesterday have become today’s resilience crises. National and global efforts have failed to stop climate change, transition from fossil fuels, and reduce inequality. We must now confront these and other increasingly complex problems by building resilience at the community level. But what does that mean in practice, and how can it be done in a way that’s effective and equitable?The Community Resilience Reader offers a new vision for creating...

A powerful investigation into the chances for humanity's future from the author of the bestseller The World Without Us.In his bestselling book The World Without Us, Alan Weisman considered how the Earth could heal and even refill empty niches if relieved of humanity's constant pressures. Behind that groundbreaking thought experiment was his hope that we would be inspired to find a way to add humans back to this vision of a restored, healthy planet...

A how to book for those interested in building a Conventional Home . When you are ready to look at the most important aspects of a project, this is the book for you. I discuss budget, needs, and design. Using the included exercises and worksheets you move through the process. Then I guide you step by step through estimation, design, and ultimately the construction process. This literature is a proven way to develop a workable project, design, and budget for only the cost of the book. This ...

Prime minister of India Manmohan Singh has been accused of changing ministerial portfolios at the behest of the Reliance group. There have been claims that the group deliberately squatted on reserves of natural gas and curtailed production in anticipation of higher prices that are administered by the government, to the detriment of the interests of the countrys people. Spokespersons of the group deny these alligations and contend that gas output from the Krishna-Godavari basin came down on...

A visionary yet practical guide to building a more sustainable future, by one of the most important voices in environmentally aware designAre there practical solutions to the many global challenges—climate change, poverty, insufficient healthcare—that threaten our way of life? Author John Thackara has spent a lifetime roving the globe in search of design that serves human needs. In this clear-eyed but ultimately optimistic book, he argues that, in our eagerness to ...

City Rules offers a challenge to students and professionals in urban planning, design, and policy to change the rules of city-building, using regulations to reinvigorate, rather than stifle, our communities. Emily Talen demonstrates that regulations are a primary detriment to the creation of a desirable urban form. While many contemporary codes encourage sprawl and even urban blight, that hasn't always been the case-and it shouldn't be in the future.Talen provides a visually rich h...

Today we are standing helpless and perplexed. With no glimmer of improvement anywhere in sight, we feel hopelessly propelled towards a forlorn future. It is understandable therefore than an increasing number of people, sick and tired of this insane activity, are now seeking ways to return to Mother Nature. Viktor Schauberger (1885–1958) Nature as Teacher, the second volume of the Eco-Technology series which presents the original, passionate and convincing research of Viktor Schauberger in ...

Compact Living: how to design small interior space, opens our eyes to the possibilities of living a compact and low impact urban life.It is about learning how to live happily with less clutter, and to embrace the joys in life. Most of our society is struggling to pay the bills, whilst chasing the ideal of a ‘bigger’ lifestyle. Compact Living: how to design small interior space is the perfect antidote to this; teaching us how to make the most of what we already have through assessing and des...

Although strategies to prevent global warming – such as by conserving energy, relying on solar and wind power, and reducing motor vehicle use – are well-known, societies have proved unable to implement these measures with the necessary speed. They have also been unwilling to confront underlying issues such as overconsumption, overpopulation, inequity, and dysfunctional political systems. Political and social obstacles have prevented the adoption of improved technologies, which would provid...

The first Earth Day is the most famous little-known event in modern American history. Because we still pay ritual homage to the planet every April 22, everyone knows something about Earth Day. Some people may also know that Earth Day 1970 made the environmental movement a major force in American political life. But no one has told the whole story before.The story of the first Earth Day is inspiring: it had a power, a freshness, and a seriousness of purpose that are difficult to imag...

This book focuses on the human and societal aspects of sustainable development. Three major perspectives are considered: governance and its influence on sustainable development; urban environments and their broader human and environmental impacts; and disaster management. Each of these elements is critical in considering the current and prospective development of societies towards a sustainable future in which human security is guaranteed.This 2-volume set discusses a wide range of...

"I can't recommend John Cary's book, Design for Good, highly enough. His argument...is clear and revolutionary." —Melinda Gates“That’s what we do really: we do miracles,” said Anne-Marie Nyiranshimiyimana, who learned masonry in helping to build the Butaro Hospital, a project designed for and with the people of Rwanda using local materials. This, and other projects designed with dignity, show the power of good design. Almost nothing influences the quality ...