Cities: An Environmental History

About this book

Cities are amongst our greatest creations. Yet at the start of the twenty-first century there is increasing concern over their unchecked expansion and the detrimental effect this is having on the planet, as induced climate change and ever increasing demands upon the world's resources take effect. How can we make the world's cities more sustainable?

In Cities, An Environmental History, Ian Douglas tells the story of cities – why they exist, how they have evolved, the problems they have encountered and those they will face as our century progresses. Global in geographical coverage, and ranging from the cities of the classical world to the megacities of today, Cities, An Environmental History is the first comprehensive environmental history of cities.

Cities, An Environmental History is suitable as a textbook for undergraduate and master's course in environmental management, environmental science, planning, urban geography, planning.

Contents

Contents
Acknowledgements
List of illustrations

Chapter 1: Origins of cities and urban environmental change
Chapter 2: Responses to environmental challenges
Chapter 3: Urban metabolism
Chapter 4: Urban air pollution
Chapter 5: Urban water supplies
Chapter 6: Urban waste water and solid waste
Chapter 7: Noise and odours
Chapter 8: Urban geomorphology and hydrology
Chapter 9: Urban greenspaces: parks, gardens and greenbelts
Chapter 10: Urban sustainability

Bibliography
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Ian Douglas is Emeritus Professor of Geography in the School of Environment and Development, Manchester University. He is Past-President of the Society for Human Ecology, President of the International Council for Ecopolis Development; Chairman of the UK UNESCO MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Urban Forum; and Chairman of the UNESCO SCOPE Expert Group on Urban Futures. His books include The Urban Environment (1983), Humid Landforms (1977) and (as co-editor) Companion Encyclopaedia of Geography (2007) and Routledge Handbook of Urban Ecology (2011).