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As urbanization continues, and even accelerates, scientists estimate that by 2015 the world will have up to 60 'megacities' - urban areas with more than five million inhabitants. With the irresistible economic attractions of urban centers, particularly in developing countries, making the influx of citizens unstoppable, many of humankind's coming social, economic and political dramas will be played out in megacities. This book shows how geographers and Earth scientists are contributing to a better understanding of megacities. The contributors analyze the impact of socio-economic and political activities on environmental change and vice versa, and identify solutions to the worst problems. They propose ways of improving the management of megacities and achieving a greater degree of sustainability in their development. The goals, of wise use of human and natural resources, risk reduction (both social and environmental) and quality of life enhancement, are agreed upon. But, as this text proves, the means of achieving these ends are varied. Hence, chapters cover an array of topics, from health management in Indian megacities, to planning in New York, to transport solutions for the chronically traffic-choked Bangkok. Authors cover the impact of climate change on megacities, as well as less tangible issues such as socio-political fragmentation in the urban areas of Rio de Janeiro. This exploration of some of the most crucial issues that we face as a species sets out research that is of the utmost importance, with the potential to contribute substantially to global justice and peace - and thereby prosperity.

Obwohl internationale Migration vor allem ein Phänomen der Migration in Städte ist, liegen bisher kaum Untersuchungen zur Verknüpfung von Migration und Stadtentwicklung vor. Der vorliegende Sammelband untersucht zwei Schwerpunkte in diesem Schnittbereich: Das erste Thema widmet sich dem bisher wenig berücksichtigten Potenzial und der Rolle von Migration in städtischen Ökonomien. Der zweite Schwerpunkt richtet sich auf aktuelle Chancen und Herausforderungen für städtische Migrations-, Integrations- und Entwicklungspolitik. Beispiele aus Deutschland werden durch Aufsätze zu China und den USA ergänzt. Mit Beiträgen von: Patricia Ehrkamp, Stefanie Föbker, Norbert Gestring, Hans Dieter Laux, Zhigang Li, Josef Nipper, Carmella Pfaffenbach, Birte Rafflenbeul, Andrea Riester, Stefan Rother, Ann-Julia Schaland, Elena Sommer, Daniela Temme, Günter Thieme, Dita Vogel, Günther Weiss, Claus-Christian Wiegandt, Roman Windisch. "Es geht nicht mehr so sehr um die Frage, wie viel Heterogenität und kulturelle Vielfalt eine Stadt aushält. Vielmehr geht es um die Frage eines anderen Integrationsverständnisses, das Städte entwickeln müssen, wollen sie die Veränderungen des alltäglichen städtischen Lebens durch Migrantinnen und Migranten als Ressource und nicht als Defizit verstehen. Deshalb ist der Zusammenhang besonders wichtig, der zwischen einer sich entwickelnden Migrantenökonomie, -kultur, und -politik einerseits und einer Stadtentwicklungspolitik andererseits besteht. Wie verstehen sich Städte weiterhin unter der Bedingung internationaler Migration und kann, ja sogar muss eine Stadt alle vollständig integrieren? Und: brauchen Städte eine andere Logik von Integration und Ausgrenzung, die zum Bestandteil einer Stadtentwicklungspolitik wird? Die Beiträge gehen diesen Fragen in unterschiedlicher Intensität nach. Nicht immer ist der Zusammenhang zur Stadt als besonderer Lebensform und einer Struktur deutlich, aus der eine bestimmte Eigenlogik der Stadt erwächst und aus der eine auch eine spezifische Kerndynamik von Ökonomie, Kultur und der Gestaltung des Sozialen ableitbar ist. Einige der Beiträge bearbeitet das Thema aus der Sicht der Migrationsforschung und nur manchmal scheint der Zusammenhang zu den Besonderheiten des Urbanen oder der Urbanität als Lebensstil auf. Was aber deutlich geworden ist, ist sicher der Tatbestand, dass wir im Zeitalter internationaler Verflechtungen und Globalisierungstendenzen von internationalen Migrationsprozessen ausgehen müssen, die nicht mehr nur einseitig in eine Richtung der Migration verweisen" (socialnet.de)

Literaturverz. S. 223 - 239

Megacities have particular significance in the world-wide process of urbanisation: In the year 2015, more than 600 million people will be living in about 60 megacities worldwide (i.e. metropolises with more than 5 million people). Under the dynamics of global change they affect global change just as profoundly as global change can affect megacities. Often, megacities are perceived mainly as burdened by disadvantages, origins and motors of multiple problems as well as agents and victims of risks. Such a view does, however, neglect - at least potential - benefits, chances and advantages of mega-urban developments. In East, Southeast and South Asia, radical spatial, demographic, social and political structural changes in (mega-)urban areas took place, associated with the economic rise of the whole region since the mid- 1980s, which show remarkable differences. Furthermore, the issue of systematic risk minimisation and risk prevention and the question of growing importance of informality within megaurban areas are touched.

Worldwide, high mountains are characterised by an ethnic, linguistic and socio-cultural, sometimes also religious variety. Thus, in addition to other regions mostly situated in national peripheries, they figure among the last retreats of traditionally ethno-linguistic diversity. According to estimates, about 250 million people belong to the so-called "indigenous" peoples living predominantly in peripheral regions; this figure amounts to between 70 and 80 million in Europe. Using the example of the Rhaeto-Romanic people of Graubünden (Grisons), it is possible to follow in detail the different phases of the territorial retreat as well as the causes accelerating and supporting that development. When the Rhaeto-Romanic area was at its largest, it extended from Regensburg to Trient and from Constance to Kufstein. The current area occupied is the result of a long shrinking process. In the Alps region, there are still three regions separated from each other, which are still settled by the Rhaeto-Romanish people: the district of Friuli (about 500 000 people; Italy), the Ladin region in the Dolomites (about 30 000 people; Italy) and the Romance Grisons region (about 40 000 people; canton of Graubünden (Grisons)/Switzerland). Since the end of the 19th century, the Rhaeto-Romanish language has increasingly been pushed back by the linguistic switch to the German or to the Italian languages, and the linguistic area has been subdivided into different sections. The effects of increasing development of the economy and transport communications in the mountain areas have especially favoured the peripheralisation process. The causes and reasons responsible for the peripheralisation of the Rhaeto-Romanish people are in detail as follows: The Rhaeto-Romanish people are linguistically subdivided into five main idioms, and by religious denomination into further fragments. The Rhaeto-Romanish population is very unevenly distributed within the canton, and in many communities it is demographically aging. The unbalanced structure of occupation and employment encourages emigration, especially of qualified people. A high proportion of persons speaking other languages, linguistically mixed marriages and the power of bilingualism (German/ Rhaeto-Romanish) stimulate the linguistic switch. This development is also encouraged by the low prestige value of the Rhaeto-Romanic language, by the lack of minority-specific urban centres and by the shortage in availability of a (primary, secondary and university) education and of the media. The most important factors influencing the preservation and the decline of the ethno-linguistic diversity are summerised in a diagram. In addition to the various area-based factors (natural landscape, natural resources and infrastructure), other superordinate social factors (economic, social, geopolitical situation, disparities, administration and planning system, minority politics and the legal situation) take effect. The different ethno-national, geostrategic, economic and ecological factors as well as their relationships to each other are represented in detail.