The two pillars of modern physics are general relativity and quantum field theory, the former describes the large scale structure and dynamics of space-time, the latter, the microscopic constituents of matter. Combining the two yields quantum field theory in curved space-time, which is needed to understand quantum field processes in the early universe and black holes, such as the well-known Hawking effect. This book examines the effects of quantum field processes back-reacting on the backg...

The story of one village, Yantian, and its remarkable economic and social transformation, this book shows how outcomes are shaped by a number of factors such as path dependence, social structures, economic resources and local entrepreneurship.

The mission of the Urban and Regional Policy and Its Effects series is to inform policymakers, practitioners, and scholars about the effectiveness of select policy approaches, reforms, and experiments in addressing the key social and economic problems facing today's cities, suburbs, and metropolitan areas.Volume four of the series introduces and examines thoroughly the concept of regional resilience, explaining how resilience can be promoted-or impeded-by regional character...

The complex interactions between human and physical systems confronting social scientists and policymakers pose unique conceptual, methodological, and practical complications when ‘doing research’. Graduate students in a broad range of related fields need to learn how to tackle the discipline-specific issues of space, place, and scale as they propose and perform research in the spatial sciences. This practical textbook and overview blends plenty of concrete examples of spatial research and...

As Place Branding has become a widely established but contested practice, there is a dire need to rethink its theoretical foundations and its contribution to development and to re-assert its future. This important new book advances understanding of place branding through its holistic, critical and evidence-based approach. Contributions by world-leading specialists explore a series of crucially significant issues and demonstrate how place branding will contribute more to cultural, economic ...

Why have some cities become great global urban centers, and what cities will be future leaders?From Athens and Rome in ancient times to New York and Singapore today, a handful of cities have stood out as centers of global economic, military, or political power. In the twenty-first century, the number of truly global cities is greater than ever before, reflecting the globalization of both economic and political power.In Global Cities: A Short History, Greg ...

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. Commentary and analysis typically focused on what went wrong in the post-disaster emergency response. This forward-looking book, however, presents a more cautiously optimistic view about the region's ability to bounce back after multiple disasters.Catastrophes come in different forms-hurricanes, recessions, and oil spills, to name a few. It is imperative that we learn how best to rebuild in the wake of disasters and what...

New Issues in Polar Tourism traces and analyzes a decade of growing interest in the polar regions, and the consequent challenges and opportunities of increasing tourist traffic in formerly remote and seldom-visited places. The book arises from the recently-formed International Polar Tourism Research Network (IPTRN), and documents the outcomes of its 2010 conference, held at Sweden’s Abisko Scientific Research Station.

Since the late 1990s, there have been broad discussions concerning the rapid rise of the creative economy. Creative or cultural industry is seen as the new engine of the regional growth for both developed economies and emerging nations. At the point of transition in economy and society, China is recently striving to transform its economy from “made in China” towards “created in China”. This book provides an insight into creative industries and spaces in Shanghai, which is the fastest growi...

Today’s society is completely dependent on critical networks such as water supply, sewage, electricity, ICT and transportation. Risk and vulnerability analyses are needed to grasp the impact of threats and hazards. However, these become quite complex as there are strong interdependencies both within and between infrastructure systems. Risk and Interdependencies in Critical Infrastructures: A guideline for analysis provides methods for analyzing risks and interdependencies of criti...

Since 1962 the Desert Institute of the former Academy of Science of the USSR has been conducting research work in the arid and semi-arid zones of central Asia. This outstanding experience in desert and desertification problems, and the possibilities of sustainable land use under difficult environmental conditions is summarized here. The book also gives an overview of the Institute's consulting work within the framework of international projects. This is the first publication allowing reade...

By 2010, 260 million citizens were living outside of their permanent hukou location, a major challenge to the constrictive Mao-era system of migration and settlement planning. Jason Young shows how these new forces have been received by the state and documents the process of change and the importance of China's hukou system.