Projected Cities

Projected Cities PDF

Author: Stephen Barber

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2004-02-03

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 186189581X

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In this illuminating and provocative survey, Stephen Barber examines the historical relationship between film and the urban landscape. Projected Cities looks with particular focus at the cinema of Europe and Japan, two closely linked cinematic cultures which have been foremost in the use of urban imagery, to reveal elements of culture, architecture and history. By examining this imagery, especially at moments of turmoil and experimentation, the author reveals how cinema has used images of cities to influence our perception of everything from history to the human body, and how cinematic images of cities have been fundamental to the ways in which the city has been imagined, formulated and remembered. The book goes on to assess the impact of media culture on the status of film and cinema spaces, and concludes by considering digital renderings of the modern city. Projected Cities will appeal to all readers engaged with the city, film and contemporary culture.

Cities Transformed

Cities Transformed PDF

Author: Mark R. Montgomery

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-31

Total Pages: 585

ISBN-13: 1134031734

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Over the next 20 years, most low-income countries will, for the first time, become more urban than rural. Understanding demographic trends in the cities of the developing world is critical to those countries - their societies, economies, and environments. The benefits from urbanization cannot be overlooked, but the speed and sheer scale of this transformation presents many challenges. In this uniquely thorough and authoritative volume, 16 of the world's leading scholars on urban population and development have worked together to produce the most comprehensive and detailed analysis of the changes taking place in cities and their implications and impacts. They focus on population dynamics, social and economic differentiation, fertility and reproductive health, mortality and morbidity, labor force, and urban governance. As many national governments decentralize and devolve their functions, the nature of urban management and governance is undergoing fundamental transformation, with programs in poverty alleviation, health, education, and public services increasingly being deposited in the hands of untested municipal and regional governments. Cities Transformed identifies a new class of policy maker emerging to take up the growing responsibilities. Drawing from a wide variety of data sources, many of them previously inaccessible, this essential text will become the benchmark for all involved in city-level research, policy, planning, and investment decisions. The National Research Council is a private, non-profit institution based in Washington, DC, providing services to the US government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The editors are members of the Council's Panel on Urban Population Dynamics.

Inventing Future Cities

Inventing Future Cities PDF

Author: Michael Batty

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2018-12-11

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0262349906

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How we can invent—but not predict—the future of cities. We cannot predict future cities, but we can invent them. Cities are largely unpredictable because they are complex systems that are more like organisms than machines. Neither the laws of economics nor the laws of mechanics apply; cities are the product of countless individual and collective decisions that do not conform to any grand plan. They are the product of our inventions; they evolve. In Inventing Future Cities, Michael Batty explores what we need to understand about cities in order to invent their future. Batty outlines certain themes—principles—that apply to all cities. He investigates not the invention of artifacts but inventive processes. Today form is becoming ever more divorced from function; information networks now shape the traditional functions of cities as places of exchange and innovation. By the end of this century, most of the world's population will live in cities, large or small, sometimes contiguous, and always connected; in an urbanized world, it will be increasingly difficult to define a city by its physical boundaries. Batty discusses the coming great transition from a world with few cities to a world of all cities; argues that future cities will be defined as clusters in a hierarchy; describes the future “high-frequency,” real-time streaming city; considers urban sprawl and urban renewal; and maps the waves of technological change, which grow ever more intense and lead to continuous innovation—an unending process of creative destruction out of which future cities will emerge.

OECD Urban Studies Cities in the World A New Perspective on Urbanisation

OECD Urban Studies Cities in the World A New Perspective on Urbanisation PDF

Author: OECD

Publisher: OECD Publishing

Published: 2020-06-16

Total Pages: 171

ISBN-13: 9264376666

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Cities are not only home to around half of the global population but also major centers of economic activity and innovation. Yet, so far there has been no consensus of what a city really is. Substantial differences in the way cities, metropolitan, urban, and rural areas are defined across countries hinder robust international comparisons and an accurate monitoring of SDGs. The report Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation addresses this void and provides new insights on urbanisation by applying for the first time two new definitions of human settlements to the entire globe: the Degree of Urbanisation and the Functional Urban Area.

The Metropolis of Tomorrow

The Metropolis of Tomorrow PDF

Author: Hugh Ferriss

Publisher: Courier Corporation

Published: 2005-02-11

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 0486437272

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"In 1916, New York City enacted zoning laws that mandated the building of 'set-back' structures so that light and air would be more freely admitted into the streets below. This concept was first proposed by Louis Sullivan in his 1891 article, 'The high-building question' (inspired by William Le Baron Jenney's recently completed Manhattan building in Chicago). Hugh Ferriss (1889-1962), American draftsman and architect, studies architecture at Washington University in St. Louis where the Beaux Arts school was favored. Early in his career he worked as a draftsman in the office of Cass Gilbert until he became a freelance delineator. In 1922, Ferris took part in a series of zoning envelope studies that sought to comply with the earlier city legislation. Such were the key ingredients that gave rise to [this book]. In [this book], 59 stunning illustrations depict towering structures, personal space, wide avenues, and rooftop parks - features that now exist in many innovative, densely populated urban landscapes. Ferriss uses metaphors from nature that lend his text a poetic quality. It is no wonder that the work inspired critics of the time to remark: 'As a creative entity, as a symbol of the American spirit, it is superb' ('Survey'); and as 'magically stirring as a prophecy' (Albert Guerard in 'Books'). With its eloquent commentary and powerful renderings, [this book] is an indispensable resource for students, architects, and anyone else with an interest in American architecture"--Back cover.

Breaking Point

Breaking Point PDF

Author: Peter Seamer

Publisher: Black Inc.

Published: 2019-02-05

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1743820801

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The way we plan and build cities in Australia needs to change. Australia’s population is growing: between 2017 and 2046 it is projected to increase by 11.8 million, the equivalent of adding a city the size of Canberra each year for thirty years. Most of this growth will occur in the major cities, and already its effects are being felt: inner-city property prices are skyrocketing and the more affordable middle and outer suburbs lack essential services and infrastructure. The result is inequality: while wealthy inner-city dwellers enjoy access to government-subsidised services – public transport, cultural and sporting facilities – new home buyers, pushed further out, pay the lion’s share of the costs. So how can we create affordable housing for everyone and still get them to work in the morning? What does sustainable urban development look like? In this timely critique of our nation’s urban development and planning culture, Peter Seamer argues that vested interests often distort rational thinking on our cities. Looking to the future, he sets out cogent new strategies to resolve congestion, transport and expenditure problems, offering a blueprint for multi-centred Australian cities that are more localised, urban and equitable in nature.