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Elsevier

Books in Social sciences

The Social Sciences collection forms a definitive resource for those entering, researching, or teaching in any of the many disciplines making up this interdisciplinary area of study. Written by experts and researchers from both Academic and Commercial domains, titles offer global scope and perspectives.

Key subject areas include: Library and Information Science; Transportation; Urban Studies; Geography, Planning, and Development; Security; Emergency Management.

  • China's Experience in Eco Cities and Green Transport

    • 1st Edition
    • Huapu Lu
    • English
    China's Experience in Eco Cities and Green Transport helps readers develop a deeper understanding of major changes and ongoing developments in ecological cities and green transportation in China. Using case studies from 28 cities that explore urban transportation construction, the book details field surveys and data retrieval, along with authoritative data that is used to analyze the Chinese experience. The book encourages readers to explore current and future developments in China, thus paving the way for high-quality urban planning and development. Importantly, the book also discusses the implications of the Chinese experience for other countries.Each chapter provides an overview of the city's unique characteristics, including its land use and urban layout, motorization and transportation infrastructure, public transit system, specialized transportation modes, development of slow traffic systems, ecological initiatives, urban culture, and civility, along with key highlights and lessons learned from the city's experience.

  • School Security

    How to Build and Strengthen a School Security Program
    • 3rd Edition
    • Paul Timm
    • English
    School Security: How to Build and Strengthen a School Safety Program, Third Edition emphasizes a proactive rather than reactive approach to school security. Through a holistic approach, rather than focusing on a particular threat or event, readers are introduced to basic loss prevention and safety concepts. The book covers fundamental CPTED concepts and addresses bullying, teen suicide, harassment, and dating violence. This updated new edition includes new information throughout on topics such as new legislative requirements, technological advancements such as AI, communications and access control, and even a parent’s guide to school safety.The book discusses how to positively influence student behavior, lead staff training programs, and write sound security policies. It presents complex security concepts in straightforward language that resonates with educational stakeholders who may not have security backgrounds. It recognizes the financial constraints facing most educational institutions and prioritizes cost-effective solutions. Tiered implementation strategies allow schools to enhance security incrementally within available resources. It also emphasizes integrating security measures into school culture, balancing robust security with maintaining an open, welcoming educational environment—a critical concern overlooked in more technically-oriented security literature.

  • Road Safety for Practitioners

    • 1st Edition
    • Luis Montoro + 1 more
    • English
    Road Safety for Practitioners offers a clear and applied overview of essential road safety topics designed for professionals involved in road safety promotion, training, and implementation. This manual bridges gaps in existing literature by providing an accessible yet rigorous perspective on the causes, consequences, and prevention of road crashes, along with insights into new vehicle technologies and sustainability concerns. The book comprehensively covers decision-making processes, vulnerable road users, risk factors such as distractions and fatigue, vehicle safety systems, ecological driving, and emergency response. Its detailed table of contents addresses both foundational knowledge and emerging challenges, including advanced driver assistance systems, propulsion technologies, and future policy outlooks, making it a valuable tool for practitioners seeking a broad yet practical understanding. This resource benefits transport planners, policymakers, traffic instructors, road safety consultants, law enforcement officials, mobility analysts, and industrial stakeholders integrating safety training. Additionally, it serves researchers in road safety fields. Written in accessible language without requiring prior specialization, it supports effective application and dissemination of road safety knowledge across diverse contexts.

  • Assembling Smart Cyber-Physical Systems

    Heterogeneous, Diffuse and Green Technological Infrastructures for Cities and Industries
    • 1st Edition
    • Zakaria Benomar + 3 more
    • English
    Assembling Smart Cyber-Physical Systems: Heterogeneous, Diffuse and Green Technological Infrastructures for Cities and Industries offers a comprehensive approach on how to design, implement, and use Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs)-computing systems with a strong interaction between the physical environment (equipped with sensors and actuators) and the cyber realm (the Cloud). Through a carefully structured methodological approach to systems design, readers will learn how the infrastructure continuum represents our environment, where we can move from edge computing to the Cloud, going through fog resources to set up an entire framework for services deployment and application in smart cities and industries.As dealing with complex systems has become increasingly difficult, CPSs are increasingly critical to cope with integrating software, which people are used to, with hardware, which is distributed among different domains. This book shows how to deal with such systems where there is no distinction among the different parts: computing, storage, networking, and IoT all contribute to setting up the modern processing environments, thus it is mandatory to keep them simultaneously under control.

  • Technological Inclusion and Climate Innovation

    Comparative Pathways for Just and Equitable Transitions Across Global Societies
    • 1st Edition
    • Samuel Chukwujindu Nwokolo + 3 more
    • English
    Technological Inclusion and Climate Innovation: Comparative Pathways for Just and Equitable Transitions Across Global Societies offers a groundbreaking, equity-focused roadmap that redefines climate innovation by integrating sociotechnical inclusion, institutional foresight, and comparative global metrics. Sections cover global disparities in climate exposure and technological capacity, social equity, governance, cultural interfaces, national strategies, geopolitics, smart cities, circular economies, digital climate governance, innovation ecosystems, climate education, and future scenarios. Novel indices such as the Inclusion-Readiness Nexus (IRN), Innovation Gradient Index (IGI), and Synergistic Transition Potential (STP) are introduced to assess and compare climate-tech inclusion.The work also presents strategic foresight models and policy roadmaps for equitable climate technology deployment aligned with Sustainable Development Goals. It is invaluable to interdisciplinary scholars, policymakers, strategists, and practitioners engaged in sustainability, technology, governance, and equity. It benefits environmental scientists, political scientists, urban planners, STS scholars, digital sociologists, global governance experts, climate policy researchers, innovation economists, and professionals in public-private partnerships, climate-tech startups, and multilateral organizations.

  • Symbiotic Planning for Urban Futures

    A Paradigm for Human-AI Co-Creation
    • 1st Edition
    • Zhong-Ren Peng
    • English
    Symbiotic Planning for Urban Futures: A Paradigm for Human-AI Co-Creation presents a framework for harnessing AI's analytical power while preserving democratic control over urban futures. This book establishes symbiotic planning as a falsifiable paradigm—grounded in five technology-neutral axioms and operationalized through governed friction—where AI acts as governed co-creator across the CORE framework: Collaboration, Options, Refinement, Execution. It clarifies distinct roles: AI synthesizes evidence, generates non-obvious options, and stress-tests plans; planners steward assumptions and translate values into constraints; communities contest and refine constraints; and authorized decision-makers set ends and grant time-bound approvals. Equity is treated as a primary design constraint, with equity floors as binding guardrails.This book serves as essential resource for urban planners, civic technologists, policymakers, researchers, and students committed to democratic urban governance in an algorithmic age. It provides actionable governance tools, including Civic Evidence Dossiers, Authorization Forums, Equity Gates, and a 100-Day Starter Kit, ensuring AI remains transparent, contestable, and subject to renewal. Whether navigating AI procurement, studying algorithmic accountability, or organizing for transparent decision-making, this book empowers readers to make cities more resilient, equitable, and democratically co-governed.

  • Navigating Education 5.0 into the Metaverse

    Educational Technologies of the Future
    • 1st Edition
    • Robertas Damaševičius
    • English
    Navigating Education 5.0 into the Metaverse: Educational Technologies of the Future addresses the informational needs and daily challenges of readers by providing a comprehensive, up-to-date resource on the latest ideas and advances in educational technologies, and by offering guidance on how to effectively integrate these technologies into teaching practice and design technology-enhanced learning experiences. This is an area of key current interest to educators, librarians and researchers.

  • Reinventing Transit for the 21st Century

    • 1st Edition
    • Baruch Feigenbaum
    • English
    Reinventing Transit for the 21st Century addresses the critical state of urban transit systems in the U.S., exacerbated by declining ridership and looming fiscal challenges post-COVID. The book advocates for substantial reforms, including transitioning to contracted services, fostering competition, and redesigning transit boards to emphasize expertise over politics. It also calls for integrating various service modes and adopting new technologies to reduce costs and enhance the rider experience.Spanning 10 chapters, the book begins with an overview of current transit systems and the factors behind their decline. It outlines a vision for modern transit, focusing on customer needs, service redesign, complementary services like bike-sharing, funding mechanisms, and international lessons on contracting. Governance improvements and the role of technology are also discussed, with a concluding chapter presenting a model 21st-century transit system.Accessible to political leaders, transit executives, researchers, planners, and riders, the book includes a glossary for clarity. It emphasizes the importance of serving transit-dependent riders, often from lower-income Communities of Color, to boost ridership and provide essential services. This book is essential for anyone invested in the future of urban transit.

  • Tech-Powered Sustainability

    Revolutionizing Green Public Services
    • 1st Edition
    • Maria José Sousa + 3 more
    • English
    Tech-Powered Sustainability: Revolutionizing Green Public Services explores how technology can transform the public sector by integrating sustainability and innovation. it begins with innovations in public administration and green services, discussing topics like the integration of green innovation and the efficiency of digital solutions. The second part focuses on tech-powered public services, exploring human machine collaboration, blockchain, AI, and cybersecurity. The third part presents real-world case studies from various countries, showcasing sustainable technological innovations in public services. Finally, the book examines management systems and discusses how to evaluate green public policies, offering future scenarios for sustainable governance.A must-read for professors, students, public managers, policymakers, researchers, and technology specialists, this book equips its audience with the knowledge and strategies necessary to implement effective digital governance. With insights into overcoming challenges and enhancing public service quality, readers will be positioned at the forefront of sustainable innovation in the public sector.

  • From Urban Air Mobility to the Low-Altitude Economy

    Concepts, Confluence, and Challenges
    • 1st Edition
    • Xiaoqian Sun + 2 more
    • English
    From Urban Air Mobility to the Low-Altitude Economy: Concepts, Confluence, and Challenges offers a rigorous overview of the emerging low-altitude economy, focusing on the scientific, technological, and regulatory aspects of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The book begins with foundational concepts of UAM and the low-altitude economy and then covers integration strategies, safety, and emerging technologies. It then presents industry experiences and case studies on cargo, passenger transport, emergency services, environmental surveillance, military operations, and more. The final section discusses challenges in transitioning to the low-altitude economy, including technological, regulatory, economic aspects, and more.This resource benefits aviation industry professionals, urban planners, and transportation engineers seeking to integrate eVTOL and UAM systems. Aerospace engineers and sustainability experts gain insights into technological innovations and environmental considerations. Academic researchers and graduate students in aerospace engineering, computer science, and data science will find comprehensive knowledge on the evolving urban air mobility landscape and its economic impacts.

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