Energy Metropolis

Energy Metropolis PDF

Author: Martin V. Melosi

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre

Published: 2007-07-01

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0822973243

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Houston's meteoric rise from a bayou trading post to the world's leading oil supplier owes much to its geography, geology, and climate: the large natural port of Galveston Bay, the lush subtropical vegetation, the abundance of natural resources. But the attributes that have made it attractive for industry, energy, and urban development have also made it particularly susceptible to a variety of environmental problems. Energy Metropolis presents a comprehensive history of the development of Houston, examining the factors that have facilitated unprecedented growth-and the environmental cost of that development.The landmark Spindletop strike of 1901 made inexpensive high-grade Texas oil the fuel of choice for ships, industry, and the infant automobile industry. Literally overnight, oil wells sprang up around Houston. In 1914, the opening of the Houston Ship Channel connected the city to the Gulf of Mexico and international trade markets. Oil refineries sprouted up and down the channel, and the petroleum products industry exploded. By the 1920s, Houston also became a leading producer of natural gas, and the economic opportunities and ancillary industries created by the new energy trade led to a population boom. By the end of the twentieth century, Houston had become the fourth largest city in America.Houston's expansion came at a price, however. Air, water, and land pollution reached hazardous levels as legislators turned a blind eye. Frequent flooding of altered waterways, deforestation, hurricanes, the energy demands of an air-conditioned lifestyle, increased automobile traffic, exponential population growth, and an ever-expanding metropolitan area all escalated the need for massive infrastructure improvements. The experts in Energy Metropolis examine the steps Houston has taken to overcome laissez-faire politics, indiscriminate expansion, and infrastructural overload. What emerges is a profound analysis of the environmental consequences of large-scale energy production and unchecked growth.

Southern California Metropolis

Southern California Metropolis PDF

Author: Winston W. Crouch

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2023-04-28

Total Pages: 462

ISBN-13: 0520311647

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The concept of the metropolitan area, as best exemplified by Los Angeles, has highlighted two contradictory characteristics of the current urban scene: the dispersion of political power among a number of centers, and the presence of issues and problems whose impact transcends the jurisdiction of any one local government. In this book the author have focused their attention of the process by which organized groups have sought to identify public issues and to reach decision on them within one of the most rapidly developing and most complex metropolitan areas of the United States: Los Angeles. Beginning with a discussion of the setting and framework of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the authors attempt to clarify the nature of the legal, political, social, and economic forces tha have shaped the present system. The second part of this work is concerned with the contenders for leadership within the area: the central city, the urban county, and the suburbs. On the basis of the collected information, the authors next pose the hypothesis that democratic ideology and group interests have combined to produce competing power centers from which groups operate while at the same time lacking sufficient resources to dominate decision making. In the final section of a number of possible alternatives that might produce decision on area-wide issues are examined, and suggestions for bringing together the various political groupings are given. Research for this work was carried out under a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1963.

The New Century of the Metropolis

The New Century of the Metropolis PDF

Author: Thomas Angotti

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 0415615097

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The problems created by metropolitanization have become increasingly apparent. Strategies are needed to improve the world's major cities in the twenty-first century. Tom Angotti is fundamentally optimistic about the future of the metropolis, but questions urban planning's inability to integrate urban and rural systems, its contribution to the growth of inequality, and increasing enclave development throughout the world. Using the concept of 'urban orientalism' as a theoretical underpinning of modern urban planning grounded in global inequalities, Angotti confronts this traditional model with new, progressive approaches to community and metropolis.

The Routledge Research Companion to Energy Geographies

The Routledge Research Companion to Energy Geographies PDF

Author: Stefan Bouzarovski

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-06

Total Pages: 543

ISBN-13: 1317043561

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Energy has become a central concern of many strands of geographical inquiry, from global climate change to the effects of energy decisions on our lives. However, many aspects of the ‘black box’ of relationships at the energy-society interface remain unopened, especially in terms of the spatial underpinnings of energy production and consumption within nations, cities and regions. Debates focusing on the location and nature of energy flows frequently fail to consider the multiple geographical networks that illustrate and explain the distribution of fuels and services around the world. Providing an integrated perspective on the complex interdependencies between energy and geography, The Routledge Research Companion to Energy Geographies offers a timely conceptual framework to study the multiple facets of energy geography, including security, space and place, planning, environmental science, economics and political science. Illustrating how a geographic approach towards energy can aid decision-making pathways in the domains of social justice and environment, this book provides insights that will help move the international community toward greater cooperation, stability, and sustainability.

Political Change in the Metropolis

Political Change in the Metropolis PDF

Author: Ronald Vogel

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-10-05

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13: 1317345584

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This popular text has been thoroughly updated and revised to sharpen the focus on its 'bias and change' theme, include the latest data/studies informing the field, and cover important new topics (e.g., flood disaster in New Orleans). Political Change in the Metropolis, Eighth Edition, continues to focus on the political changes that have taken place in American cities and the reactions of urban scholars to them. In addition to offering scholarly perspectives, the text offers students a theoretical framework for interpreting these changing events for themselves. This framework analyzes the patterns of bias inherent in the organization and operation of urban politics, giving students an in-depth look at the fascinating and constantly changing face of urban politics. Features Accessible writing style engages students in the material. Provides excellent coverage of the impact of immigrants and ethnic groups in the making of the American city. An abundance of historical material helps students better understand the origins and development of urban politics and structures. Case studies throughout the text give students an opportunity to apply important material. The text exposes students to first-rate discussions of political phenomena and empirical literature on those phenomena.

Metropolis 2000

Metropolis 2000 PDF

Author: Thomas Angotti

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-05-30

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1351065173

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Originally published in 1993, Metropolis 2000 analyses 20th century metropolitan development and planning under the economic and environmental conditions of the world’s regions. Attempts to achieve the physical integration of the city without economic equality have failed. The book advances the principle of ‘integrated diversity’ which emphasises linking neighbourhood planning with a broader vision of the planned metropolis and applies a political economy approach, and argues for a new form of pro-urban thinking. The book argues that the basis for a humane approach to city planning is viewing the metropolis as a beneficial accompaniment to national independence, equality and social progress.

The Merchant of Power

The Merchant of Power PDF

Author: John F. Wasik

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2015-06-30

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 1250089123

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A timely rags-to-riches story, The Merchant of Power recounts how Sam Insull--right hand to Thomas Edison--went on to become one of the richest men in the world, pivotal in the birth of General Electric and instrumental in the creation of the modern metropolis with his invention of the power grid, which still fuels major cities today. John Wasik, awarded the National Press Club Award for Consumer Journalism, had unprecedented access to Sam Insull's archives, which include private correspondence with Thomas Edison. The extraordinary fall of a man extraordinary for his time is revealed in this cautionary tale about the excesses of corporate power.

Remaking Metropolis

Remaking Metropolis PDF

Author: Edward Cook

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 0415670810

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

It shows why particular approaches were successful, or did not achieve their objectives.

Lanterna Rally - Theme by Grace Themes