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Elsevier

Books in Geography planning and development

This collection examines spatial relationships, urbanization, and sustainable development. Supporting geographers, planners, and policymakers, it features geographic information systems (GIS), environmental impact assessments, and policy frameworks. These resources foster effective land use, resilience, and equitable growth in 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.

  • 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.

  • Global Risks and Energy System Resilience

    • 1st Edition
    • Jun Zhao + 2 more
    • English
    Global Risks and Energy System Resilience examines the intricate interplay between various global risks and the resilience of energy systems. This comprehensive reference delves into the complex geopolitical, economic, and financial factors that shape energy security today, offering a structured framework for understanding and addressing challenges. It covers crucial topics such as the evolution of energy system resilience, the development of an evaluation framework, and the quantification of the impacts of geopolitical, financial, and economic risks. Researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals in energy strategy and policy evaluation, energy system resilience optimization, and risk avoidance policies will find this book invaluable.This book follows the logical framework of “indicator measurement-impact assessment-scenario prediction.” It first analyzes the current situation and provides an overview of global risks and the energy system resilience, then measures the levels of different types of global risks and energy system resilience, and then analyzes the spatio-temporal evolution law. Second, the theoretical transmission mechanism of different kinds of risks on energy system resilience is analyzed through literature and theoretical review. Next, the actual impacts of different kinds of risks on energy system resilience are assessed by corresponding econometric models. Finally, the influencing factors affecting the resilience of energy systems under a digital background are identified to predict the future development of energy system resilience.

  • Encyclopedia of Ecology

    • 3rd Edition
    • Brian D. Fath
    • English
    Encyclopedia of Ecology, Third Edition, Four Volume Set - with over 300 chapters - once again provides a comprehensive reference work covering the current ideas and practices in ecology.Ecology is the ideal field for studying complex, adaptive, and self-organizing systems and by observing and understanding ecosystems, it provides valuable insights into creating sustainable systems. This knowledge is essential for addressing challenges in areas such as land management, environmental policy development, urban metabolism, industrial symbiosis, the global commons, and renewable energy.Ecology traditionally focused on measuring species abundance and distribution through field observations to establish a baseline understanding of nature. More recently, it emphasizes the relationships within populations, among species, and with their environment—networks of life central to this encyclopedia. Understanding these ecological connections is key to sustainability science and human-nature interactions. Current research spans biodiversity loss, soil conservation, sustainable agriculture, emerging diseases, eco-mimicry, and climate change. Ecological education and environmental literacy are increasingly integrated into curricula.Written and edited by an international team of experts and with special focus on interdisciplinary work in socio-ecological systems, this 3rd edition again links theory with application, and helps allow students needing entry-level summaries of specific ecology topics to create connections and find relevant, more in-depth resources in this exciting field.

  • The Next Frontiers of Quantum Generative Intelligence for Smarter Eco-Cities

    Transforming Environmental Sustainability Through Augmented Deep Generative and Foundation Models
    • 1st Edition
    • Simon Elias Bibri
    • English
    The Next Frontiers of Quantum Generative Intelligence for Smarter Eco-Cities: Transforming Environmental Sustainability Through Augmented Deep Generative and Foundation Models covers advances in the convergence of quantum computing, deep generative models, foundation models, and urban-environmental intelligence to transform sustainable urban development. The book offers conceptual frameworks, theoretical insights, operational models, and empirical case studies that showcase how quantum-enhanced generative intelligence can optimize energy, transportation, mobility, water, waste, air quality, biodiversity, climate resilience, and disaster management in eco-cities. Detailed chapters examine deep generative models, hybrid quantum-classical architectures, quantum GANs and VAEs, diffusion models, transformer-based foundation models, and much more.The text bridges theoretical advances with practical deployment strategies, encompassing policy guidance and system constraints to support evidence-based decision-making in urban sustainability contexts. This resource benefits urban planners, environmental scientists, policymakers, technology experts, city managers, academics, and graduate students by equipping them with innovative tools and frameworks to design, manage, and operate smarter eco-cities.

  • Smart Cities: A System of Systems Perspective

    Engineering, Analytics, and Innovations for Sustainable Urban Development
    • 1st Edition
    • Iman Rahimi + 3 more
    • English
    Smart Cities: A System of Systems Perspective explores System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) in smart cities. Sections address how analytics and innovative technologies can transform urban environments, equipping readers with the knowledge to optimize city operations, enhance public services, and promote sustainable urban growth. The book begins with the foundational concepts of SoSE and key principles of smart cities, exploring emergent behavior and interoperability. It then examines the integration of SoSE within urban infrastructure, highlighting the roles of IoT, AI, and machine learning. Subsequent sections focus on core technologies and analytical tools, including data analytics, predictive modeling, and decision support systems.Readers will also discover innovative solutions to pressing urban challenges, such as sustainability, cybersecurity, and governance, alongside detailed case studies showcasing successful smart city initiatives from around the globe. This book is invaluable for academics and researchers in urban studies, engineering, analytics, IoT, and AI, as well as data scientists and analytics professionals working with urban datasets. Graduate and postgraduate students in engineering, analytics, computer science, or urban studies will also find it a crucial resource.

  • Models and Measures for Sustainable City Logistics

    Behavioral Choice Processes
    • 1st Edition
    • Francesco Russo + 1 more
    • English
    Models and Measures for Sustainable City Logistics: Behavioral Choice Processes offers a thorough understanding of urban goods movements, focusing on stakeholders’ behavior. It outlines the role of modeling behaviors in determining urban goods movements, mapping the behavioral process of end consumers and retailers. It provides new methods of urban freight transport simulation, considering the challenges of sustainable development goals, and uses the most recent modeling approaches for designing and planning city logistics scenarios. It also outlines the relationships between measures and the main components of sustainable development. This book guides readers in implementing the most effective city logistics measures and actions through the estimation of impacts and system performances. It first specifies end-consumers’ behaviors, then formalizes retailers’ behaviors. Subsequently, decision-maker patterns and the goods quantities are analyzed. It presents problems whose solutions allow planners to identify various types of urban freight vehicles and subsequent road network flows. It also gives the overall structure of the model system and the specification of each single model. It presents some models calibrated in different real cases, highlighting their transferability to other contexts. It reviews the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs). It presents energy efficiency according to the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030, evidencing the different roles of the transshipment nodes. Furthermore, it introduces Implementable measures and examines the relationships between measures and the main components of Sustainable Development of Agenda 2030. Transportation technicians (urban transport planners, urban traffic managers and company f leet managers), postgraduate students, and researchers alike will find this to be a valuable resource to understand how to incorporate user behavior into urban freight transport and logistics planning and modeling, ultimately helping them optimize processes and promote sustainability.

  • Uneven Urban and Regional Growth

    Global Urbanization, Regional Economies and Local Dynamics
    • 1st Edition
    • Luca Salvati
    • English
    Uneven Urban and Regional Growth: Global Urbanization, Regional Economies and Local Dynamics examines the links between economic growth, metropolitan development, and environmental sustainability in advanced economies. Focusing on urban areas as hubs of innovation and social change, the book explores how social and environmental factors intersect with economic processes. It advocates for new governance strategies that promote sustainable growth through inclusive policies and integrated urban tools. Drawing on regional economics, it offers a comparative analysis of settlement patterns and spatial planning, emphasizing multilevel governance to address social inequalities and contemporary urban challenges effectively.Structur... in three sections, the book begins with a global-to-regional perspective on urbanization and economic dynamics, featuring analyses of uneven economic growth, urban-rural dynamics, and urbanization trends supported by global statistics and case studies from the United States, Iran, and Italy. The second section delves into socio-demographic drivers of urbanization at the regional and district levels, including population dynamics, family patterns, migration, and environmental health indicators in Mediterranean contexts. The final section focuses on local planning and territorial factors influencing urbanization, addressing topics such as landscape quality, labor markets, sustainable regional development, port infrastructure economics, and gendered urban spaces. Richly illustrated with photographs, graphs, maps, and case studies, the book integrates interdisciplinary perspectives from applied economics, geography, sociology, demography, planning, and socio-environmental sciences.

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