This book gathers the work of leading scholars from several disciplines on fragile regions, especially those regions seeking to preserve, strengthen or create processes to restore or reestablish security and effective social and economic management. It tackles the multifarious issues that shape and affect fragile regions, drawing upon a wide range of intellectual and methodological approaches, including such fields as area studies, natural resource... more...

Since the early 1950s East Asia (China, Taiwan and South Korea) and South-East Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam) have, despite war and other challenges, managed to transform the lives of their people, whereas South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) has lagged behind. The success of East and South-East Asia has not been accidental – it has been driven by action to reduce rural poverty, by the provision of... more...

This book addresses the challenge of securing high-paying jobs for American workers. It examines the impacts of a wide range of state and local characteristics―such as low taxes, high-skilled workforce, reliance on manufacturing, and even nice weather―on the economic development of U.S. regions. The author provides a detailed account for each factor’s impact on the growth of good jobs. The research focuses on U.S. metropolitan... more...

The book deals with the role of social capital regarding its potential to increase small islands’ adaptive capacity to climate change. The case study of the Isles of Scilly, UK, shows how social structures can play a very important role for climate change adaptation. It is argued that social features have to be understood in a non-deterministic and potentially ambivalent manner, according to their place-specific geographical, cultural... more...

This book investigates the ways in which city regions view themselves as single entities, how they are governed, what is meant by ‘governance’, why the question of city-regional governance matters, and the extent to which the balance between internal and external factors is important for finding governance solutions. Examples from North America and Europe are compared and contrasted to gain a better understanding of what matters... more...

This book offers a European perspective on urban planning and spatial design by outlining housing policies in Southern Europe and their evolution. Through a unique case study on the city of Turin it explores social innovation and the relationship between the urban regeneration process and housing practices. The case study is a useful example in the debate about changing welfare arrangements in Europe and the emerging rhetoric of social... more...

This book examines how privatization has transformed cities, particularly through the role of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the revitalization of America’s downtown. These public-private partnerships between property owners and municipal government have developed retail strips across the United States into lifestyle and commercial hubs. BIDs are non-profit community organizations with the public power to tax and spend on... more...

The Gold Coast is a well-known and loved destination for local and international tourists, a city of surf and sun, pleasure and leisure. However, it is also one of the fastest growing cities in Australia, occupying the largest urban footprint outside the state capitals. How did the Gold Coast come to be what it is today? Off the Plan is the first in-depth, multidisciplinary academic study on the urbanization and development of the Gold Coast. It... more...

This book introduces readers to neo-mercantile planning theory in the context of spatial regional integration in Africa. It proposes a new approach that rethinks neo-liberalism as the meta-theory of planning in Africa, and pioneers an original school of thought that presents a general theory of planning for Africa in the twenty-first century.  Research to substantiate the new theory was conducted over the... more...

This book deals with human factors research directed towards realizing and assessing sustainability in the built environment. It reports on advanced engineering methods for sustainable infrastructure design, as well as on assessments of the efficient methods and the social, environmental, and economic impact of various designs and projects. The book covers a range of topics, including the use of recycled materials in architecture,... more...