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The Eco2 Cities approach is a point of departure for cities that would like to reap the many benefits of ecological and economic sustainability. It provides an analytical and operational framework that offers strategic guidance to cities on sustainable and integrated urban development. At the same time case studies are used throughout the book to provide a matter-of-fact and ground-level perspective. The Eco2 framework is flexible and easily customized to the context of each country or city. Based on the particular circumstances and the development priorities of a city - the application of the framework can contribute to the development of a unique action plan or roadmap in each case. This action plan can be triggered through catalyst projects. To support this framework, the book also begins to introduce some powerful and practical methods and tools that can further enable sustainable and integrated city planning and decision making. These include 1) operational and process methods that can strengthen collaborative decision making and cross-sector synergies in a city; 2) analytical methods ranging from diagnostics, simulation, design and scenario-generation; and 3) accounting and benchmarking methods which can help clarify, define and measure what it means to truly invest in sustainability and resilience. As additional reference reading, the book also features a series of case studies from best practice cities around the world, each demonstrating a very different dimension of the Eco2 approach. It also features a series of infrastructure sector notes (on spatial development, transport, energy, water and waste management), each of which explore sector specific issues as they pertain to urban development, and the many opportunities for coordination and integration across sectors.

Abstract
Urbanization is a truly global trend, affecting populations in developed and emerging regions across all continents. To keep up with the rapid influx of new city dwellers, city leaders are turning to technology. One of the key challenges in many cities is providing safe drinking water. Other major issues in many cities across the developing world are traffic, parking, waste management, lighting, security, education and health care.
The Internet of Things increasingly offers new ways to make our lives as citizens smarter, more efficient and more informed. For example, city governments can charge appropriate fees, deliver tailored services and manage public infrastructure while considering interdependencies. In order to successfully seize the opportunities associated with the current shifts and to anticipate what's coming, city leaders need to recognize and address the interrelationship of all city challenges and their impact across all constituent groups in seeking solutions.

"How would you like to visit Paris, France years and years ago to see the glow from the first electric streetlight? Or travel to cities built in dry deserts, deep underground, or even on water? Cities are full of fantastic engineering! Discover extreme facts about cities in this fun and kooky book"--

An urbanising world -- Cities of the past, cities of the present -- The global network -- Migrants to the city -- The spectre of the poor -- Slums -- Livelihoods -- Cities of fear -- Provision of basic services -- City borders -- The country and the city -- The triumph of the middle class

The literature on China indicates that the concentration of economic activities in China is less than in other industrialized countries. Institutional limits are largely held responsible for this finding (e.g. the Hukou system); firms and workers are not able to take full advantage of the benefits from agglomeration economies. China is changing rapidly, however, also in this respect. We show that, by using the methodology developed by Davis and Dingel (2013), high-skilled workers in high-skill intensive sectors sort into larger locations. We demonstrate this for regions, agglomerations, cities, and for skills, occupations, and sectors. The results are strongest for cities and skills, followed by agglomerations and occupations, respectively. Between 2000 and 2010 this sorting process has become stronger, which we interpret as an indication that institutional limitations in China against further agglomeration weaken, and that the consensus in the literature that "Chinese cities are too small" needs some qualification.

In this fun and light-hearted introduction to cities, find out about different styles of houses, types of transport, places to visit, emergency services and much more. From skyscrapers to museums, and rooftop gardens to houseboats, discover what makes cities tick around the clock with this engaging book. With bright, bold and colourful illustrations by James Gulliver Hancock and easy-to-read text throughout, toddlers and very young children will gain an invaluable insight to how urban areas work. Covering a range of topics from housing to sporting events and everything in between, this is perfect for curious young minds to learn more about the world

European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement N◦691895.

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions and the definitive published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.03.002 ; Urbanisation and climate change are urging cities to chart novel paths towards sustainable futures. Many cities are turning to the alluring 'circular economy' (CE) concept to guide this redirection. The CE concept re-imagines how flows of resources moving through economies might be 'closed'. Here, we explore this new 'circular city' agenda by asking: How are cities adopting CE as a strategy?. We found that political leadership, building adaptable future visions, using experimental approaches (such as living labs), developing contextual knowledge about resource use, and engaging with diverse stakeholders to be important. However, we also expose that there is a lack of consensus on what a circular city constitutes and a need to further untangle the how and why of the circular city concept. The research contributes to the field by outlining emergent cases, identifying a set of common policy strategies, conceptualising a circular city and identifying areas for future research.

Intro -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- List of Illustrations and Picture Credits -- 1 First Impressions -- 2 How Did It Begin? -- 3 Where Did It Begin? -- 4 Common Threads -- 5 War, Greece and Rome -- 6 The Works of Giants Mouldereth Away -- 7 In the Name of God and for Profit -- 8 Prince's Capital and Merchants' City -- 9 By What Complicated Wheels -- 10 The City Found Wanting -- 11 The Impact of Numbers -- 12 Cities Built on Water -- 13 Turn to the Sun -- 14 Eternal Problems -- 15 The Greatness of Princes -- 16 Capturing the Horizon -- 17 'The city here, complete' -- 18 Accommodating Politics -- 19 Visions and Opportunities -- 20 We Tread too Heavily -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

"This publication is about urban life and the urbanizing process in the context of more aware people interacting with more aware technologies, contributing to understandings of the ambient turn in smart cities, learning cities, and future cities embracing rethinking of more sustainable and livable approaches to urban life in terms of research and practice"--