Urban and municipal planning and policy Books
World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd Beijing Record: A Physical And Political History
Book SynopsisBeijing Record, the result of ten years of research on the urban transformation of Beijing in the last fifty years, brings to an extended Western audience the inside story on the key decisions that led to Beijing's present urban fragmentation and its loss of memory and history in the form of bulldozing its architectural heritage. Wang's publication presents a survey of the main developments and government-level (both central and municipal) decisions, devoting a lot of attention to the 1950s and 1960s, when Beijing experienced a critical wave of transformative events.Shortly after its original Chinese bestseller edition was published by SDX joint Publishing Company House in October 2003, it ignited a firestorm of debate and discussion in a country where public interaction over such a sensitive subject rarely surfaces. The Chinese edition is in its 11th print run and was translated into Japanese in 2008. This newly-translated English version has the latest update on the author's findings in the area. As the only edition printed in full color with nearly 300 illustrations, the English version powerfully showcases the stunning architecture, culture, and history of China's Dynamic Capital, Beijing.Home to more than 15 million people, this ancient capital city — not surprisingly — has a controversial, complicated history of planning and politics, development and demolition. The publication raises a number of unsettling questions: Why have a valuable historical architectural heritage such as city ramparts, gateways, old temples, memorial archways and the urban fabric of hutongs (traditional alleyways) and siheyuan (courtyard houses) been visibly disappearing for decades? Why are so many houses being demolished at a time of economic growth? Is no one prepared to stand up for the preservation of the city?For his research, Wang went through innumerable archives, read diaries and collected an unprecedented quantity of data, accessing firsthand materials and unearthing photographs that clearly document the city's relentless, unprecedented physical makeover. In addition, he conducted more than 50 in-person interviews with officials, planners, scholars and other experts. Many illustrations are published here for the first time, compiled in the 1990s when archival public access was reformulated.Table of ContentsThe City of Beijing: in the Twinkling of an Eye; Preservation vs. Demolition; Antagonizing Views on Beijing's City Planning; The Liang-Chen ProposalA"; Controversy on Liang-Chen ProposalA"; Controversy on Dawuding; Perplexities of the Wise; Pedantism; Blueprint Revealed; Clean Break between the Old and the New; Lingering Sound; Hard to die.
£45.60
World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd Developing Living Cities: From Analysis To Action
Book SynopsisWith more and more of the world's population projected to live in urban areas, the life and death of cities has become a key factor in urban development considerations. This book attempts to bring an original contribution on the analysis of creating living cities. It advances the concept and framework of a “living city” and also explicates the key attributes of a “living city” that are increasingly critical to the reinvigoration and sustainable growth of cities.The book also seeks to document and compare Singapore's development as a “living city” with other cities around the world. Contributed by researchers and practitioners across different disciplines, the book provides first-hand insights on the development choices that cities can make and expertly draws on case studies to illuminate how innovative cities have a comparative advantage. Written in a simple and accessible manner, this book will appeal to people interested in urban planning, policy and sustainability.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Singapore: A Living City, a City for Living; Methodology for the Index of Living Cities; Competitive Cities (M K Ng); Committed Cities (J Wanna); Infrastructure Cities (P Newman & J Kenworthy); Transport and Communications Cities (P White); IT Cities (K E Corey & M Wilson); Environment Cities (J Harris); Liveable Cities (L Austin); Sustainable Cities (K E Seetharam); Affordable Housing Cities (B Yuen); Conclusion: The Roadmap and Performance of Liveable Cities.
£61.75
World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd Infrastructure Regulation: What Works, Why And
Book SynopsisRegulation of public infrastructure has been a topic of interest for more than a century. Providing public goods, securing their financing, maintenance, and improving the efficiency of their delivery, has generated a voluminous literature and series of debates. More recently, these issues have again become a central concern, as new public management approaches have transformed the role of the state in the provision of public goods and the modalities by which the financing of infrastructure and its operation are procured.Yet, despite the proliferation of new modalities of regulating infrastructure little is known about what works and why. Why do certain regulatory regimes fail and others succeed? What regulatory designs and institutional features produce optimal outcomes and how? And why do regulatory forms of governance when transplanted into different institutional contexts produce less than uniform outcomes?This book addresses these questions, exploring the theoretical foundations of regulation as well as a series of case studies drawn from the telecommunications, electricity, and water sectors. It brings together distinguished scholars and expert practitioners to explore the practical problems of regulation, regulatory design, infrastructure operation, and the implications for infrastructure provision.Table of ContentsRegulating Infrastructure: A Review of the Issues, Problems & Challenges; Infrastructure Regulation: What Works and How do we Know It?; Does Political Accountability Matter for Infrastructure Regulation? The Case of Telecommunications; Entry Relaxation and an Independent Regulator: Performance Impact on the Mobile Telecoms Industry in Asia; Risk, Regulation & Governance: Institutional Processes and Regulatory Risk in the Thai Energy Sector; Electricity Tariff Regulation in Thailand: Analyses and Applications of Incentive Regulation; Regulating Power without a Five Year Plan: Institutional Changes in the Chinese Power Sector; The Indonesian Electricity Sector: Institutional Transition, Regulatory Capacity and Outcomes; Regulating the Independent Power Producers: A Comparative Analysis of the Performance of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu in India; Partial Privatization and Nested Regulation: Institutional Choices in Public Sector and Regulatory Reform; The Electricity Industry Reform in Korea: Lessons for Further Liberalization; Regulatory Independence and Contract Incompleteness: Assessing Regulatory Effectiveness in Water Privatization in Manila; Can Regulation Improve the Performance of Government-controlled Water Utilities?; Effects of Regulatory Quality and Political Institutions on Access to Water and Sanitation; The Regulation of Water Infrastructure in Italy: Origins and Effects of an 'Hybrid' Regulatory System; Measuring Effectiveness of Regulation Across a River System: A Welfare Approach; Private Sector Participation and Regulatory Reform in Water Supply: The Southern Mediterranean Experience; Tempered Responsiveness through Regulatory Negotiations: Managing Unanticipated Innovations Emerging from Participation Reforms in Water Based Resources.
£180.00
World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd Ranking The Liveability Of The World's Major
Book SynopsisThis unique volume aims to provide a first comprehensive assessment on attributes, conditions and characters which constitute a liveable city. The book posits that the degree of liveability depends on five themes: satisfaction with the freedom from want; satisfaction with the state of the natural environment and its management; satisfaction with freedom from fear; satisfaction with the socio-cultural conditions; and satisfaction with public governance.The authors attempt to be more constructive through performing policy simulations by first identifying relative weaknesses and strengths of 64 global cities across major continents including European, Asian, Middle Eastern, North and South American cities. The book also ranks and simulates 36 Asian cities separately, of which many are emerging third-world cities that are in need of policy guidance.Table of ContentsWhat Makes a City More Liveable?; The Empirical Framework: Methodology, Data and Computation Algorithm; The Empirical Findings and Policy Simulation; The Liveable City-States of Hong Kong and Singapore; The Global Liveable Cities Index in Perspective.
£53.20
World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd Green Urbanism In Asia: The Emerging Green Tigers
Book SynopsisThe world is facing an age of scarcity which will challenge all cities to reduce their resource footprint, especially carbon, improve biodiversity and at the same time continue to create economic opportunities and liveable places. This is green urbanism. Asian urban growth is leading the world in the rapidity of its change but how is it doing on green urbanism? This book finds emerging innovations and first signs of green urbanism in Asia and suggests they may be the guiding light for the rest of the world. The authors highlight seven archetypal cities exhibiting green urbanism: the renewable energy city, the bioregional carbon neutral city, the distributed city, the biophilic city, the eco-efficient city, the place-based city and the sustainable transport city. The book is a must-read for all who are concerned with the future of our cities as it instills hope that a greener urban future is possible.Table of ContentsIntroduction; What is Green Urbanism?; The Renewable Energy City; The Bioregional Carbon-neutral City; The Distributed City; The Biophilic City; The Eco-efficient City; The Place-based City; The Sustainable Transport City; Conclusions: Will Asian Cities Take Over the Green Urbanism Agenda?.
£76.00
World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd Public Space In Urban Asia
Book SynopsisOver the past few decades, rapid urbanisation has threatened to erode public space, especially in emerging economies. Market forces that prioritise profit generation are allowed to construct venues of consumption in its place. Though their physical appearance may resemble traditional public space, in reality, they are greatly restrictive and diminished in affordability, accessibility and social meaning. It is in this context that William SW Lim, chairman of Asian Urban Lab, has brought together architects, designers, historians, sociologists and urbanists from the region to discuss public space in selected Asian cities.Part One contains essays from participants from Chongqing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taipei and observations from commentators. Several essays by William SW Lim on the subject round off the discussion in Part Two. The thoughtful essays in Public Space in Urban Asia emphasise how engaging with the present actuality of cities and public awareness of spatial justice in cities are crucial — for it is the achievement of spatial justice that will help create a greater level of happiness across societies in our increasingly urbanised world.Table of ContentsForeword; Introduction; Part I: Public Space in Urban Asia: The Multiple Spaces of Bukit Brown (Chua Ai Lin and Terence Chong); Vestigial as Alternative: The KTM Rail Corridor and the Search for the Un-regularized (Liew Kai Khiun); The End of the Railroad in Singapore: A Photo Essay (Claire Leow); Singapore's Void Decks (Stephen Cairns); Hawker Centres: Siting/Sighting Singapore's Food Heritage (Randy Chan and Jolene Lee); Carnivalism in Public Spaces in Chongqing (Wei Haoyan); POPS in Hong Kong: Investigating Public Space Making in Hong Kong through the Lens of Creative Space (Tat Lam and Benedetta Tavecchia); Common Space vs. Public Space in Contemporary Urbanisation (Marco Kusumawijaya); Thick Crust of Time: Kuala Lumpur (Lim Teng Ngiom); Salute to Illegal Architecture (Roan Ching-yueh); Commentaries (Jane Jacob, H Koon Wee and Lilian Chee); Part II: Change We Must and Other Essays: Global Dynamic Change and Power Rebalance (William SW Lim); Commentary on Incomplete Urbanism (Andrew Lee, Leong Teng Wui and Ong Swee Hong); Spatial Justice and Happiness (William SW Lim); Spatial Justice - A Singapore Case Study (William SW Lim); Change We Must (William SW Lim).
£80.75
Editions Didier Millet Pte Ltd A Chance of a Lifetime: Lee Kuan Yew and the
Book SynopsisLee Kuan Yew once described the opportunity to remake Singapore as 'a chance of a lifetime'. This book explores Lee's pivotal role in Singapore's urban development during his years as prime minister from 1959 to 1990. A Chance of a Lifetime recognizes Lee's achievements from the standpoint of Singapore's 50th anniversary of independence and looks forward to challenges that the city-state might encounter over the next 50 years. The book is broken up into the four main components of Singapore's urban development: planning, housing, greening and water management. Each of these factors has been key in helping create modern Singapore. There is also a chapter that discusses the transformational challenges for Singapore, and the world, over the next 50 years. Singapore's small land size and lack of hinterland meant that it had to strategize to solve issues that other countries are only starting to face now, making Singapore a leader in areas such as vertical greenery and water reclamation. Featuring the Centre for Liveable Cities 2012 interview with Lee and rarely seen archival images of Singapore's transformation from mudflat to metropolis, A Chance of a Lifetime opens with an introduction by former president S R Nathan and closes with an epilogue by Ambassador Tommy Koh.
£15.15
World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd Liveability In Singapore: Social And Behavioural
Book SynopsisCities and countries around the world are focused on enhancing their living conditions through ways that go beyond the brick and mortar of urban planning. Just like in other highly-urbanised cities, life and living in Singapore is highly dependent on many other dimensions such as health, access to various services, social interactions, inter-group relations and community bonds. Social and behavioural factors will need to be incorporated when designing and implementing policies and interventions to enhance liveability.This invaluable book, based on the proceedings at the Behavioural Sciences Institute Conference 2014, documents an exchange of ideas among practitioners, academics and public intellectuals on liveability in Singapore. The book is organized into four parts. Part I provides an overview of liveability issues. Part II examines liveability from the perspectives of health and urban planning. Part III analyses the relationships linking quality of life to social class and social services. Part IV addresses specific questions on liveability in terms of public transport, cost of living, government's public communications, role of free market values in town planning, civil society, citizen well-being and whether there is a psychological gulf between government and people.This book will provide the reader valuable perspectives, an increased understanding of issues related to the liveability in Singapore and many potential applications to reflect on.Table of ContentsLiveability Issues: Is Singapore Liveable? (Laurence Lien); Liveability Matters (David Chan); Panel Discussion 1 (Laurence Lien, David Chan and Jeremy Lim); Health, Urban Planning and Liveability: Health and Liveability (Jeremy Lim); Urban Planning and Liveability (Heng Chye Kiang); Panel Discussion 2 (Jeremy Lim, Heng Chye Kiang and Han Fook Kwang); Social Class, Social Services and Quality of Life: Social Class and Quality of Life (Tan Ern Ser); Social Services and Quality of Life (Ang Bee Lian); Panel Discussion 3 (Tan Ern Ser, Ang Bee Lian and Sudha Nair); Liveability in Singapore: Closing Panel Discussion (David Chan, Gerard Ee, Han Fook Kwang, Liu Thai Ker and Tommy Koh);
£45.60
NUS Press Mandalay and the Art of Building Cities in Burma
Book SynopsisDrawing on original Burmese texts and illustrations, recent scholarship, and mapping, Mandalay and the Art of Building Cities in Burma argues that the founding of Mandalay shifted critically in emphasis and scale during its planning from a protocol that established the royal city as a “cosmic city” to one that viewed the royal capital as a sanctuary. As part of that shift, FranÇois Tainturier shows, the founding protocol used Buddhist narratives as models for action and drastically altered patterns of spatial order that had been prevalent at former royal capitals. The systematic planning of Mandalay and the construction of its potent landscape constituted the expression—formulated not in words but in tangible form—of the throne’s claim that Burma was a “Buddhist land,” at a time when Lower Burma had been annexed by non-Buddhist believers. Tainturier provides further insight into how rulers articulated their lineage, power, and the promotion of Buddhism by creating potent landscapes. Mandalay and the Art of Building Cities in Burma renews scholarly discussion on Southeast Asian urban traditions and offers a critical investigation into the “cosmic” dimensions of one of the region’s centers of power.Trade Review“François Tainturier and NUS Press show a work of very good quality. The visual quality, the format, the large number of figures–old maps, photos from the colonial era, diagrams and comparative plans–the care given to the very beautiful layout, are all elements that strike you at first sight.” * Moussons *[This] is a fascinating book, fluidly written, thoroughly researched and clearly structured around key arguments. . . . Overall, the book is a textured and meticulous work of passion that deserves to be read by anyone interested in Southeast Asia’s cultural, religious and urban history. It is also a valuable reminder that Burma can be apprehended and appreciated for its cultural and historical richness beyond the horrors faced by its people today.” * SOJOURN *“In producing this uniquely interdisciplinary study of Mandalay’s urban planning history, Tainturier effortlessly integrates disparate scholarly domains, including religion, architecture, history, and area studies… The careful analysis that distinguishes this book makes it a significant contribution to the historiography of urban planning outside Europe and the Americas, and demonstrates that local concepts and terminologies need not always be understood as perennial or inherent. To engage in nuanced discussion, scholars also need to take historical change into account.” * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians *Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Building Upon Precedence 3. The Making of a Sanctuary 4. The "Earth Palace" as Cosmic Pivot 5. Ordering Space in the Royal City and Beyond 6. The "Seven Places" 7. The "Blessed One's Bazaar" Materialized 8. Conclusion: Building the City of Dhamma
£35.06
ISEAS Urban Transition in Hanoi: Huge Challenges Ahead
Book SynopsisVietnam is in the midst of one of the world’s most rapid and intensive rural-to-urban transitions.In Hanoi, heritage preservation has gained significant policy attention over the last decades, but efforts continue to focus on the Old Quarter and Colonial City to the exclusion of collective socialist housing complexes and former village areas, and natural features such as canals and urban lakes.Parks and public spaces are urgently needed to offset the high residential densities and to improve the quality of life of residents.Motor vehicles continue to fuel the growth in transportation. Significant efforts were recently made to establish a mass transit system, but progress there is slow. More attention should be paid to improving the existing transportation system and to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Investments in new housing estates have fuelled a speculative real estate market but failed to address adequately the needs of the vulnerable segments of the population.Regional integration is a challenge as the city expands and swallows the peri-urban areas around the city.
£10.23
Springer Verlag, Singapore Inclusion and Belonging in Cities of Tomorrow:
Book SynopsisThis open access book uncovers the historical context and entrenched beliefs that have perpetuated exclusionary urban landscapes and disadvantage for marginalized groups. It offers an in-depth exploration of the intricate interplay of geographical space, recognizing its pivotal role in shaping our cities and exacerbating spatial injustice. The construction industry, a vital agent in forging accessible environments, often falls short in accommodating persons with disabilities and older individuals. This important book underscores the urgent need for integrated approaches woven into the fabric of cities, companies, and the construction industry itself, to ensure universal accessibility. Drawing upon practical strategies and compelling case studies, the book presents actionable frameworks such as the DisCo Policy Framework and the Iceberg of Inequality Model, facilitating the assessment of progress towards achieving radical inclusion. Inviting readers to embark on a journey into the cities of tomorrow, where inclusion and belonging are the norm, it concludes with a simple idea: the future is accessible.Table of Contents1 Radical Inclusion: The Key to Urban Transformation2 The Legacy of Radical Exclusion in Cities3 Constructing a New Approach to Radical Inclusion4 How Cities Shape Our Experience5 Making and Measuring Progress in Radically Inclusive Cities6 Emerging Trends in Cities of Tomorrow7 The Era of the New Normal
£23.74
Chinese University of Hong Kong Press Form Follows Fever
Book Synopsis
£44.25
Hong Kong University Press Ecologies of Urbanism in India: Metropolitan
Book Synopsis
£45.00
Hong Kong University Press Ecologies of Urbanism in India: Metropolitan
Book Synopsis
£19.00
Hong Kong University Press Land Administration and Practice in Hong Kong
£18.05
Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong Public and Squatter Housing: Geopolitics and Informality, 1963-1985
£28.80
NUS Press Contesting Space in Colonial Singapore: Power
Book SynopsisIn the British colonial city of Singapore, municipal authorities and Asian communities faced off over numerous issue. As the city expanded, disputes arose in connection with sanitation, housing, street names, control over pedestrian 'five-foot-ways', and sacred spaces such as burial grounds. Brenda Yeoh's Contesting Space in Colonial Singapore details these conflicts and how they shaped the city. The British administration structured the private and public environments of the city with an eye toward shaping human behaviour, following scientific principles and the lessons of urban planning in other parts of the world. For the Asian communities, Singapore was the place where they lived according to their own values, priorities and resources. The two perceptions of the city frequently clashed, and the author reads the cityscape of Singapore as the result of this contest between discipline and resistance. Drawing on meticulous research and a theoretically sophisticated use of cultural and social geography, post-colonial historical discourse, and social theory, the author offers a compelling picture of a critical stage in Singapore's past. It is an important contribution to the study of colonial cities and an indispensable resource for understanding the shape of modern Singapore.Trade ReviewHistorical urban geography at its best!" —Progress in Human Geography"What a splendid book this is!" —Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
£23.36
NUS Press Mega-Urban Regions in Pacific Asia: Urban
Book SynopsisSoutheast Asia contains four urban conglomerates of the sort that this study characterizes as Mega-Urban Regions - Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh. These locations are examined in this book, along with Taipei and Shanghai. Because the administrative boundaries of the cities at the core of these zones do not include the entire urban area, the significance of the broader urban community has largely escaped scholarly attention. The authors base their analysis on actual agglomeration size rather than administrative boundaries, and draw on unpublished census data to study the dynamics of these massive urban zones, considering area and population size as well as social and demographic patterns of change in core, inner and outer zones. They conclude that these mega-urban regions continue to increase their share of national populations, and zones immediately beyond the official metropolitan boundaries are where the most dramatic changes are occurring.
£18.00
NUS Press Changing Landscapes of Singapore: Old Tensions,
Book SynopsisLandscape is not only the visible material surface of places but also refers to ways of interpreting fluid or contested social relations and spatial arrangements. The essays in this book critically examine how material and immaterial landscapes take shape in Singapore and their impacts on the population. They further assess how different social groups in Singapore inhabit landscapes and negotiate changing societal dynamics and conditions. The book contextualises developments in Singapore within regional and international trends. A standard Singapore Studies textbook, this book will appeal to anyone seeking to understand this ever-changing island, city and state.
£28.01
Haymarket Books Abolish Rent
Book Synopsis
£38.40
