Health systems have long been considered key determinants of well-being within modern societies, a valuable resource which have faced a series of reform initiatives throughout the past decades. These reforms have been used to manage the cost of development, measure the tenability of health systems in globalizing economies and promote the increasing importance of health problems related to lifestyle and living conditions, yet they have failed to provide a true resolution to the persistent e...

Over the past few decades, there has been a growing concern about the social and environmental risks which have come along with the progress achieved through a variety of mutually intertwined modernization processes. In recent years these concerns are transformed into a widely-shared sense of urgency, partly due to events such as the various pandemics threatening livestock, and increasing awareness of the risks and realities of climate change, and the energy and food crises. This sense of ...

This open access book examines more than two centuries of societal development using novel historical and statistical approaches. It applies the well-being monitor developed by Statistics Netherlands that has been endorsed by a significant part of the international, statistical community.It features The Netherlands as a case study, which is an especially interesting example; although it was one of the world’s richest countries around 1850, extreme poverty and inequality were signif...

Nederland is één van de meest dichtbevolkte landen ter wereld. Dan moet je verstandig omgaan met de beschikbare ruimte. Waar gaan we werken, waar wonen en waar vakantie houden? Wat bebouwen en wat blijft ongerept? Nergens ter wereld wordt daar zo grondig over nagedacht als in Nederland. Internationaal geldt Nederland als gidsland op het gebied van de ruimtelijke ordening. Vanwege deze positie, en om aan de vraag vanuit het Engelstalige onderwijs te voorzien, verschijnt nu deze geheel herzi...

From one of the world's leading experts on the history of energy, a rigorous examination of the transitions that structure our modern world--and the environmental reckoning that will mark its success or failure. What makes the modern world work? The answer to this deceptively simple question lies in four "grand transitions" of civilization--in populations, agriculture, energy, and economics--which have transformed the way we live. Societies that have undergone all four tra...

Dutch planning is widely known and admired for its ambitions and its achievements. This book provides, for the first time, a comprehensive description and analysis in English of its full range of policies and practices. It gives an up-to-date account of the principles - written and unwritten - behind the planning, and in addition shows how the practice sometimes ignores those principles in order to achieve better results. It describes the content of the policies, the measures taken to real...

Cities are the world’s future. Today, more than half of the global population—3.7 billion people—are urban dwellers, and that number is expected to double by 2050. There is no question that cities are growing; the only debate is over how they will grow. Will we invest in the physical and social infrastructure necessary for livable, equitable, and sustainable cities? In the latest edition of State of the World, the flagship publication of the Worldwatch Institute, experts from arou...

Concern about humanity's impact on the planet has never been greater, but what are the drivers of environmental change? This wide-ranging introductory textbook outlines the competing explanations of why environmental problems occur and examines the different political approaches taken to address them. Adopting a case study approach, Hayley Stevenson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of how theories and concepts are applied in practice. Diverse perspectives on a variety of c...

An incisive critique of Canada’s drinking water gatekeepers.Canada is celebrated for its abundance of fresh water, and few Canadians question the safety of the water that comes from our taps. But is this trust justified? One study estimates that contamination of drinking water causes 90,000 cases of illness and ninety deaths every year.In this authoritative review of decades of legislation, research, and independent regulatory critiques, accompanied by riveting stories of t...

The City: The Basics provides a brief yet compelling overview of the study of cities and city life. The book draws on a range of perspectives – economic, political, cultural, and environmental aspects are all considered – to provide a broad comparison of the evolution of cities in the rich Global North and the poorer Global South. Topics covered in the book include:a brief history of cities from ancient times to the post-modern presentthe differences betwee...

Reviewing the limitations of various planning options, this book addresses the debate on how to preserve open space in the context of a growing metropolis.The importance of open spaces for well-being in urban life is well-established. With case studies on internalization and valuation methods, this book critically examines the liberal discourse that urges the transfer of responsibility for open space from government to the market.European and American expert authors confron...

Some cities seem destined to become major financial capitals, yet never do—Seville, for instance, was the centre of Spain's opulent New World Empire, but failed to become a financial metropolis. Others, like former colonial backwater Hong Kong, defy the odds by growing into major trading centres. What are the key factors distinguishing those cities that become wealthy from those that don't? Christopher Kennedy illuminates how geography, technology, and especially the infrastructure of urba...