Rapid Urbanization And Sustainability In Saudi Arabia The

URBAN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENTMega-Urbanization in the Global SouthPathways to Urban SustainabilityWhat Makes a Sustainable City?Sustainable Urban Transport in an Asian ContextRethinking Sustainable CitiesLivable Cities of the FutureSustainable Urban Development and GlobalizationUrbanization and Sustainability in AsiaUrbanization in Developing CountriesSustainable UrbanizationUrban Agriculture in KingstonPlanning and Housing in the Rapidly Urbanising WorldWomen, Urbanization and SustainabilityUrbanization and Its Impact on Socio-Economic Growth in Developing RegionsSustainable Urban DevelopmentUrban ChinaFood System SustainabilitySustainable UrbanizationFraming in Sustainability ScienceGlobal UrbanizationChallenges Towards Ecological Sustainability in ChinaThe Economics of UniquenessSmart Futures, Challenges of Urbanisation, and Social SustainabilityDigital Cities RoadmapImpact of Urbanization on Sustainability of CitiesWater Science, Policy and ManagementLand Use Transitions Under Rapid UrbanizationHighway and Urban EnvironmentMega-Urbanization in the Global SouthSmart Grid Analytics for Sustainability and UrbanizationAfrica's CitiesSustainability in the GulfThe Peri-Urban InterfaceMegacities and Rapid Urbanization: Breakthroughs in Research and PracticeManaging Urban FuturesAccess to Microfinance and Financial Training for Innovative Urban SustainabilityFraming in Sustainability SciencePopulation Growth and Rapid Urbanization in the Developing WorldSmart Governance for Cities: Perspectives and Experiences

evolution of transportation and communication technologies, the astounding phenomenon of urbanization has taken place. Cities have grown faster and larger, absorbing vast influxes of dwellers who seek convenient and comfortable lifestyles with the required fast, cheap, and safe systems of transport. Of the world's megacities, with populations of more than ten million, over half are in Asia. While enjoying large-scale economic power, Asian megacities also face serious challenges. They suffer from too-rapid urbanization, with the resulting congestion, pollution, and destruction of traditional local cultures and industries. Written by experts from Asian academic institutes, this book addresses the urgent question of how to achieve sustainability in the still-growing cities of Asia. The chapters comprise the latest research and the application of promising measures, some already realized in Asia, that include urban transport system design and management, land-use control, city planning, and sustainability. Of vast import, this volume was written for students and researchers, planners and engineers, and all who are interested in sustainable urban environments. Following is the structure and rough sketch of the contents of this book: Part I, "The First Step: An Overview" deals with Asian characteristics from natural, cultural, and economic viewpoints, and then describes how we should grasp the concept of urban sustainability in urban transport in Asia. Readers will understand various aspects of Asia as introductory and preparatory knowledge. Part II, "Best Practices from Asia with Wisdom: Keys to Success and Facing Limitations" will introduce actual comparatively successful and promising measures tried and realized in Asia. This part covers various cases from passenger transport to freight transport, from transport system design to system management, from engineering measures to people's participation, from traffic control to land-use control and site development. Readers will find an abundance of information and examples in this main part of the book. Part III, "Future of Urban Transport in Asia: Rising Asia Proposes to the World" discusses key issues and hot topics of study on sustainable city and transport for the future: development and management, travel demand management, growth management, site development strategies, and financial and institutional measures.

Water and Sustainability in Arid Regions
Cities and Nature connects environmental processes with social and political actions. The book reconnects science and social science to demonstrate how the city is part of the environment and how it is subject to environmental constraints and opportunities. This second edition has been extensively revised and updated with in-depth examination of theory and critical themes. Greater discussion is given to urbanization trends and megacities; the post-industrial city and global economic changes; developing cities and slums; urban political ecology; the role of the city in climate change; and sustainability. The book explores the historical relationship between cities and nature, contemporary challenges to this relationship, and attempts taken to create more sustainable cities. The historical context situates urban development and its impact on the environment, and in turn the environmental impact on people in cities. This provides a foundation from which to understand contemporary issues, such as urban political ecology, hazards and disasters, water quality and supply, air pollution and climate change. The book then considers sustainability and how it has been informed by different theoretical approaches. Issues of environmental justice and the role of gender and race are explored. The final chapter examines the ways in which cities are practicing sustainability, from light "greening" efforts such as planting trees, to more comprehensive sustainability plans that integrate the multiple dimensions of sustainability. The text contains case studies from around the globe, with many drawn from cities in the developing world, as well as reviews of recent research, updated and expanded further reading to highlight relevant films, websites and journal articles. This book is an asset to students and researchers in geography, environmental studies, urban studies and planning and sustainability.

Institutional and Social Innovation for Sustainable Urban Development
The Kenyan population is highly concentrated in urban centres, leading to increased social, economic and environmental strains, with a significant percentage of urban dwellers living in sprawling slums. Urban development is increasingly a major focus, especially in the fight against urban sustainability problems. There is little practical orientation in the academic literature for the growing gap between the rich and poor. Current literature is enormously concerned with resource use and environmental pressures, paying scant attention to the nexus between urban sustainability and empowerment of the urban poor. This book initiates debates on the segment of urban population often referred to as "the bottom of the pyramid (BOP)", by analysing the microfinance innovation following evaluation of the impacts of access to microfinance and financial training and the implications to urban sustainability in Kenya. The main conclusion reached is that microfinance has an instrumental role to play in promoting sustainable urban development as it supports social welfare improvement and increases the livelihood of participants, business development and urban sustainability to a certain extent, thereby empowering the urban poor in contributing to poverty alleviation.

Megacities and Rapid Urbanization: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice
This book includes a selection of the best papers presented at the Jinan Forum on Geography and Ecological Sustainability held in Guangzhou, China, from 17 to 19 February 2017, as well as several invited papers. It discusses concepts, methods, and applications in geography and ecology with an emphasis on various issues challenging ecological sustainability in China. Chapters are written by leading scholars and researchers from a variety of disciplines including geography, ecology, environmental science and policy, and economics. Case studies are predominantly drawn from Southern China, where nearly four decades of dramatic urbanization has caused economic and ecological strains on land and people. This book will appeal to a wide readership including researchers, upper-division undergraduate and graduate students, and professionals in the fields of sustainability science, geography, ecology, and environmental science and policy.

Managing Urban Futures
International voices fill the pages of Water and Sustainability in Arid Regions, forming an original scientific exploration of current water research and management issues. In arid regions, agriculture that is ill-adapted to the environment, accelerated urbanization, poverty, and increasing pollution challenge access to and uses of water. Understanding these issues requires incorporating findings from both the physical and social sciences at different temporal and spatial scales. The chapters in this book were written by hydrologists, remote sensing specialists, ecologists, historians, economists, political scientists, architects, archaeologists, and other experts who live in and study arid lands. The authors present updates, overviews, and analyses of water challenges these areas have faced and are striving to address, from salinization in the fabled Taklimakan Desert in China to land degradation in the northern Mediterranean to groundwater over-exploitation in the southwestern United States. The book also examines desertification, remote sensing, qanat systems, architecture, arsenic contamination, and other case studies from Iran, the Maghreb region, Argentina and Chile, and Mexico. From this conceptual mosaic of comparative perspectives and research methods emerges a strong assumption: an interdisciplinary approach that combines physical and social sciences is the first step toward globally and comprehensively addressing water and sustainability."This book is a valuable and welcome contribution to the discussion of water and sustainable development. Through the collection of chapters, the book clearly illustrates the contemporary diversity of approaches to water scarcity and presents pertinent and new research findings that readers generally do not find compiled together. The result is a highly relevant, accessible, and timely resource that is unique in its international and interdisciplinary content. This is a must-read for anyone working on environmental and sustainability issues in arid lands."André Mariotti, University Pierre et Marie Curie, and INSU -CNRS (National Institute for Earth Sciences and Astronomy-National Center for Scientific Research/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), France "Anyone who reads this book will find himself or herself contemplating the need to rethink how we approach the issue of water and sustainability in arid lands. Drawing on the expertise of both physical and social scientists, the chapters taken as a whole present global, historic, and current perspectives on water scarcity in a multi-layered way that rarely has been done before." Miguel Solanes, Madrid Water Institute, Spain

Challenges Towards Ecological Sustainability in China
Intellectual, Scientific, and Educational Influences on Sustainability Research This work focuses on urban governance in the developing world, its aim being to bring a holistic perspective to the debate on urban governance in Asia and around the globe. It has been divided into three sections: The first section is on rural interventions as they influence urbanization and its problems/solutions. The second focuses on urban governance, infrastructure programs, service delivery reforms and their evaluation. The third and final section focuses on urbanization and the environment. In the first section, we present evaluations of India's rural programs including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and of India's Total Sanitation Campaign. This section covers the transition from rural to urban areas, and highlights coping mechanisms in urban areas and policy implications for urban governance, from the viewpoint of rural migrants. The section on urban governance, infrastructure and service delivery is the most in-depth and consists of papers that present state-ofthe-art research on many aspects of infrastructure such as cost and time overruns, risks and their mitigation, assessments of the metro rail, and services such as solid waste management. The focus of the final section is on urbanization and the environment. Here we examine land use change in India, the relationship between urban form and residential energy use in Bandung, Indonesia, and end by depicting a cautiously optimistic view of Asia's urbanization-environment nexus.

Urbanization in Asia
Written specifically as a teaching text and authored by a team of leading academics in the field, this is the first book to bring together the key issues of rapid urbanisation with approaches to planning and housing. Outlining and explaining core concepts from 'informal settlements' to 'sustainability', it focuses on the rapid urbanization of developing countries with case studies from Latin America, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of rapid urbanization and associated globalization on land-use and housing is described and analyzed with reference to the particular issues of poverty, health and the environment of these areas. Providing an accessible introduction to the key issues as well as enhancing current theoretical debates and exploring practical applications, this book is an essential resource for students and researchers in this area.

Digital Cities Roadmap
The rapid urbanization that began with industrialization has begun to cause many problems. New approaches are emerging today to minimize these problems and make urban areas more livable. These problems include insufficient social facilities in urban areas for increasing populations due to migration and unbalanced use of green areas, water, and energy resources due to urbanization. Careless consumption and the pollution of natural resources will cause people many more problems in the future than they do today in urban development. Many professional disciplines have noticed this unbalanced development in urban areas. Urban areas have larger populations than rural areas today. Urban areas are developed neglectfully. Sustainability is needed as a criterion for urban areas to develop in a more livable and healthy fashion. Sustainable urban development approaches are seen in many fields, ranging from land use to the use of natural resources in urban areas.

Highway and Urban Environment Urbanization and Sustainability in Asia
Rapid urbanization and overconsumption can threaten the natural environment, resource efficiency and resilience of a region, which are essential components of urban sustainability. Human effects which cause environmental degradation include poor sanitation and waste disposal, overconsumption of water resources, and motorized vehicular and industrial activities contributing to increased levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Malaysia has made ambitious commitments to reduce its GHG emissions intensity of GDP by forty-five percent by 2030 relative to the emissions intensity of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005. Melaka's rapid urbanization rate and population growth are already placing pressures on the environment. Melaka State has been ambitious in its efforts in attracting international expertise from numerous multilateral development banks and aid organizations. There is, however, the potential for key issues around coordination of funding and implementation to be overlooked in the rapid race to meet the city's environmental objectives. This report offers a detailed snapshot of the current environment and resource efficiency dynamics of Melaka in comparison with similar regions in Malaysia and abroad, and with analysis of performance in the areas of water, waste, energy and resilience. The report concludes by discussing the emerging risks and challenges that Melaka faces and outlines key recommendations for the state.

Framing in Sustainability Science
Nowadays, sustainable development is a common goal for regional development around the world. With fast economic development, most developing countries have experienced rapid urbanization process, which has exerted comprehensive impact on social-economical development, and changed the pattern, composition and urban landscape of cities significantly. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand relationships between urban landscape dynamics and social-economical development, and to assess the impact of urbanization on sustainability of cites. For the purpose of promoting sustainable development of cities, we should scientifically direct urban development planning, rationally develop policies, laws and regulations, and take targeted measurements to guarantee the implementation of these plans and polices with better understanding of correlations between urbanization and sustainability of cities.

Population Growth and Rapid Urbanization in the Developing World
Urbanization and the globalization of the food system are causing social, environmental, economic and political problems worldwide. Rapid urbanization is increasing environmental degradation and food insecurity. Urban agriculture is one tool for sustainable development that has the potential to provide food or related services within or on the edges of urban areas. The goal of this research was to determine the current situation and the future potential of urban agriculture in Kingston. A literature review, questionnaires, interviews and case studies were used to determine the perceptions of relevant stakeholders, barriers and ways to overcome those barriers. Conservative estimates of urban agriculture's value to Kingston's environmental, social, community health, food security and economic dimensions were made through modeling. Study participants demonstrated a relatively greater awareness of environmental and community benefits of urban agriculture compared to food security, health or economic benefits. Modeling and calculations indicated that urban agriculture could contribute at least $190 to $860 million per year in positive environmental, health and economic benefits. Modeling indicated that sourcing more local urban produced foods could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 1300 to 14000 tonnes annually for 39 common fresh fruits and vegetables. Urban agriculture could meet the fresh fruits and vegetables needs of up to 76% or more of the Kingston CMA population. There appeared to be 5600 ha of area in the inner-city that could be used for food production. Major challenges identified were perceptions of limited space, limited resources and education. Recommendations to address these challenges are also provided. Overall, urban agriculture has potential to contribute to sustainability in Kingston.

Impact of Urbanization on Sustainability of Cities
Over the last few decades, the new discipline of sustainability science (SS) has evolved with a phenomenal rise in knowledge production, research, and publications, as well as the development of new academic programs and creation of centers and scientific communities, networks, and organizations. With pressing global environmental issues in the 21st century, SS has become an influential discipline and important subject of intellectual inquiry that deserves support from the academy and scientific communities worldwide to find solutions to global problems such as climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss. Intellectual, Scientific, and Educational Influences on Sustainability Research is a concise and authoritative book that fills the crucial and unmet need for educational materials that integrates theoretical foundations, methodological basis, and practice in the science of sustainability. The goal of the book is to increase accessibility and use of educational and scientific knowledge among academic and non-academic audiences as it assembles the wisdom and insights from up-to-date scholarship and advances in this new discipline. Highlighting various topics such as biodiversity, public transportation, and human development, it is ideal for environmentalists, ecologists, technology developers, policymakers, academicians, researchers, and students.

Sustainable Urban Transport in an Asian Context
This book examines urbanization and migration processes in South Asia. By analyzing the socio-economic impacts and infrastructural, environmental and institutional aspects of different conurbations, it highlights conflicts over agricultural land as well as the effects on health, education, poverty and the welfare of children, women and old people. The authors also explore issues of mobility; connectivity and accessibility of public services, and discuss the effective use of new urban-management tools, such as the concept of smart cities and urban spatial monitoring.

Land Use Transitions Under Rapid Urbanization
This book tackles the challenges posed by accelerating urbanization, and demystifies Social Sustainability, the least understood of all the different areas of sustainable development. The volume's twin focus on these profoundly intertwined topics creates a nuanced and vitally important resource. Large migrations from rural areas to cities without appropriate planning and infrastructure improvements, including housing, education and health care optimization, have created significant challenges across the globe. The authors suggest technology-rich strategies to meet these challenges by careful application of data on population growth and movement to the planning, design, and construction of operational infrastructures that can sustainably support our increasingly rapid population growth.

Cities and Partnerships for Sustainable Urban Development
Waste management considered the most complex issue in urban areas, and it is associated with a variety of complex socioeconomic and environmental issues. Rapid urbanization, change in lifestyles and rise in population has resulted in the generation of huge quantities of solid waste. The waste management system remains primitive and has failed to evolve with the demands of the rapidly changing situation. The quantity of waste generated is much higher than the quantity collected, transported and disposed of, leading to the piling up of uncollected waste in streets, public places and drains. The unsanitary methods adopted for the disposal of municipal solid wastes pose a serious health concern. The technologies that have been attempted in India run into rough terrain, failed to bring desired environmental and public health benefits. This book is comprised of articles highlighting the issues relating to problems in managing urban waste, sustainability in waste management practices and generating wealth from waste contributed by eminent scholars in this field.

Mega-Urbanization in the Global South
Peri-urban interfaces -the zones where urban and rural areas meet -suffer from the greatest problems to humans caused by rapid urbanization, including intense pressures on resources, slum formation, lack of adequate services such as water and sanitation, poor planning and degradation of farmland. These areas, home to hundreds of millions of people, face unique problems and need distinctive and innovative approaches and solutions. This book, authored by top researchers and practitioners, covers the full breadth and depth of the impacts of rapid urbanization on livelihoods, poverty and resources in the periurban zones in diverse African, Asian, Latin American and Caribbean contexts. Topics include peri-urban resource sustainability, ecosystems and societies and environmental changes in peri-urban zones. Rich case studies cover production systems and livelihoods including the impacts of irrigated vegetable production, horticulture, dairy enterprises, waste-fed fisheries and pastoral livelihoods. Also addressed are planning and development issues in the peri-urban interface including the difficulty in achieving sustainability, conflict and cooperation over resources, and a fresh look at the relationship between people and their environment. The final part of the book presents policies and strategies for promoting and measuring sustainability in peri-urban zones including community-based waste management, the co-management of watersheds and empowerment of the poor. This book is the most comprehensive examination of the challenges and solutions facing the people and environments of peri-urban zones and is essential reading for all practitioners, students and academics in geography and development.

Sustainable Urbanization
This book provides theoretical perspectives and practical experiences on smart governance for smart cities. It presents a balanced linkage between research, policies and practices on this area. The authors discuss the sustainability challenges raised by rapid urbanization, challenges with smart governance models in various countries, and a new governance paradigm seen as a capable approach able to overcome social, economic and environmental sustainability problems. The authors include case studies on transformation, adaption and transfers; and country, regional, municipal contextualization. Also included are best practices on monitoring and evaluating smart governance and impact assessment. The book features contributions from researchers, academics, and practitioners in the field. Analyzes smart governance for cities from a variety of perspectives and a variety of sectors -both in theory and in practice Features information on the linkage between United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and smart governance Covers the connection between research, policies and practice in smart governance for smart cities.

Sustainability in the Gulf
The global south is entering an 'Urban Age' where, for the first time in history, more people will be living in cities than in the countryside. The logics of this prediction have a dominant framing -rapid urbanization, uncontrolled migration, resource depletion, severe fuel shortages and the breakdown of law and order. We are told that we must be prepared. The solution is simple, they say. Mega-urbanization is an opportunity for economic growth and prosperity. Therefore we must build big, build new and build fast. With contributions from an international range of established and emerging scholars drawing upon realworld examples, Mega-Urbanization in the Global South is the first to use the lens of speed to examine the postcolonial 'urban revolution'. From the mega-urbanization of Lusaka, to the production of satellite cities in Jakarta, to new cities built from scratch in Masdar, Songdo and Rajarhat, this book argues that speed is now the persistent feature of a range of utopian visions that seek to expedite the production of new cities. These 'fast cities' are the enduring images of postcolonial urbanism, which bypass actually existing urbanisms through new power-knowledge coalitions of producing, knowing and governing the city. The book explores three main themes. Part I examines fast cities as new urban utopias which propagate the illusion that they are 'quick fix' sustainable solutions to insulate us from future crises. Part II discusses the role of the entrepreneurial state that despite its neoliberalisation is playing a key role in shaping mega-urbanization through laws, policies and brute force. Part III finally delves into how fast cities built by entrepreneurial states actually materialise at the scale of regional urbanization rather than as metropolitan growth. This book explores the contradictions between intended and unintended outcomes of fast cities and points to their fault lines between state sovereignty, capital accumulation and citizenship. It concludes with a vision and manifesto for 'slow' and decelerated urbanism. This timely and original book presents urban scholars with the theoretical, empirical and methodological challenges of mega-urbanization in the global south, as well as highlighting new theoretical agendas and empirical analyses that these new forms of city-making bring to the fore.

Framing in Sustainability Science
Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Business economics -Economic and Social History, grade: 1, , language: English, abstract: Urbanization is defined as the influx and increase of the number of people who live in the cities and major towns in the country, and it is caused by movement of people from rural areas to urban areas. The movement of people from rural to urban centers occurs mainly due to increased population pressure and limited resources available for a large population in the rural areas. Global change can be mostly associated to urban drift, and it contributes mostly to the people moving to the cities and towns. Most people move to urban centers in search of jobs and better living standards which are associated with urban areas. Various arguments have been advanced by scholars on whether urbanization is sustainable or unsustainable. In order to understand the sustainability of urbanization it is good to consider economic, social, political, cultural and environmental effects of urbanization. The increase in urbanization occurred during the industrialization period which took place in Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. During this period, large masses of people moved from rural areas to urban areas in search of employment in the industries, but this phenomenon is now being witnessed in developing countries where industrialization is assuming upward trends. This paper will provide an overview of urbanization in developing countries, especially regarding its sustainability.

Urbanization in Developing Countries
This book highlights the important role of the complex nature of interactions between rural and urban areas in Africa and how this relates to sustainable development on the continent -one with a fast urbanization rate. The volume critiques the widely held assumption of a societal divide where rural areas are mostly agricultural, whilst urban areas engage in industry and services. Contributors provide conceptual arguments and present case studies in Africa which illustrate the complex and multifaceted interdependencies between cities and rural areas, through the flow of natural resources, people, capital, information, goods and services which directly impacts the socio-ecological as well as economic sustainability of these spaces. This volume forms part of an Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA) book series involving the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability and 8 partner African universities running Master's Programs in sustainable development. The book series is intended to serve primarily as undergraduate and graduate instruction materials for courses on sustainable development in Africa, as well as policy input to key developmental issues in Africa.

Environmental Change and Sustainability
This book provides theoretical perspectives and practical experiences on smart governance for smart cities. It presents a balanced linkage between research, policies and practices on this area. The authors discuss the sustainability challenges raised by rapid urbanization, challenges with smart governance models in various countries, and a new governance paradigm seen as a capable approach able to overcome social, economic and environmental sustainability problems. The authors include case studies on transformation, adaption and transfers; and country, regional, municipal contextualization. Also included are best practices on monitoring and evaluating smart governance and impact assessment. The book features contributions from researchers, academics, and practitioners in the field. Analyzes smart governance for cities from a variety of perspectives and a variety of sectors -both in theory and in practice Features information on the linkage between United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and smart governance Covers the connection between research, policies and practice in smart governance for smart cities

The Peri-Urban Interface
Makes a significant contribution to the sustainable urbanisation agenda through authoritative interventions contextualising, assessing and explaining the relevance and importance of three central characteristics of sustainable towns and cities everywhere; that they be accessible, green and fair.

Rural-Urban Linkages and Sustainable Development in Africa
As the global population continues to boom, particularly in the developing countries, it has become necessary to find ways to handle this increase through various policy tools that address population growth and urbanization problems. The urbanization process has both potentials issues as well as opportunities to move societies forward that need to be exploited. Population Growth and Rapid Urbanization in the Developing World examines trends, challenges, issues and strategies adopted by developing countries in the face of population growth and rapid urbanization and its impact on urban environments. The book explores patterns of population growth and urbanization, use of different governance approaches in addressing challenges, as well as different tools and systems of appropriate allocation to address issues. The book is a comprehensive reference for academicians, students, practitioners, professionals, managers, urban planners and government officials.

Framing in Sustainability Science
This open access book offers both conceptual and empirical descriptions of how to "frame" sustainability challenges. It defines "framing" in the context of sustainability science as the process of identifying subjects, setting boundaries, and defining problems. The chapters are grouped into two sections: a conceptual section and a case section. The conceptual section introduces readers to theories and concepts that can be used to achieve multiple understandings of sustainability; in turn, the case section highlights different ways of comprehending sustainability for researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders. The book offers diverse illustrations of what sustainability concepts entail, both conceptually and empirically, and will help readers become aware of the implicit framings in sustainabilityrelated discourses. In the extant literature, sustainability challenges such as climate change, sustainable development, and rapid urbanization have largely been treated as "pre-set," fixed topics, while possible solutions have been discussed intensively. In contrast, this book examines the framings applied to the sustainability challenges themselves, and illustrates the road that led us to the current sustainability discourse.

Rethinking Sustainable Cities
Sustainability is a topic of great interest today, particularly for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which have witnessed very rapid economic and demographic growth over the past decade. The observed growth has led to unsustainable consumption patterns of vital resources such as water, energy, and food, highlighting the need for an urgent shift towards green growth and sustainable development strategies. Sustainability in the Gulf covers the region's contemporary development challenges through the lens of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which place sustainability at the centre of the solution to the current environmental, economic, and social imbalances facing GCC countries. The book presents multiple analyses of Gulf-specific sustainability topics, examining the current status, challenges, and opportunities, as well as identifying key lessons learned. Innovative and practical policy recommendations are provided, as well as new conceptual angles to the evolving academic debates on the post-oil era in the Gulf. Through chapters covering sector-related studies, as well as the socio-economic dimensions of the sustainability paradigm, this volume offers valuable insights into current research efforts made by the GCC states, proposing a way forward based on lessons learned. This is a valuable resource for students, academics, and researchers in the areas of Environmental Studies, Political Economy, and Economics of the GCC states.

Smart Governance for Cities: Perspectives and Experiences
DIGITAL CITIES ROADMAP This book details applications of technology to efficient digital city infrastructure and its planning, including smart buildings. Rapid urbanization, demographic changes, environmental changes, and new technologies are changing the views of urban leaders on sustainability, as well as creating and providing public services to tackle these new dynamics. Sustainable development is an objective by which the processes of planning, implementing projects, and development is aimed at meeting the needs of modern communities without compromising the potential of future generations. The advent of Smart Cities is the answer to these problems. Digital Cities Roadmap provides an in-depth analysis of design technologies that lay a solid foundation for sustainable buildings. The book also highlights smart automation technologies that help save energy, as well as various performance indicators needed to make construction easier. The book aims to create a strong research community, to have a deep understanding and the latest knowledge in the field of energy and comfort, to offer solid ideas in the nearby future for sustainable and resilient buildings. These buildings will help the city grow as a smart city. The smart city has also a focus on low energy consumption, renewable energy, and a small carbon footprint. Audience The information provided in this book will be of value to researchers, academicians and industry professionals interested in IoT-based architecture and sustainable buildings, energy efficiency and various tools and methods used to develop green technologies for construction in smart cities.

Urbanization and Regional Sustainability in South Asia
This open access book offers both conceptual and empirical descriptions of how to "frame" sustainability challenges. It defines "framing" in the context of sustainability science as the process of identifying subjects, setting boundaries, and defining problems. The chapters are grouped into two sections: a conceptual section and a case section. The conceptual section introduces readers to theories and concepts that can be used to achieve multiple understandings of sustainability; in turn, the case section highlights different ways of comprehending sustainability for researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders. The book offers diverse illustrations of what sustainability concepts entail, both conceptually and empirically, and will help readers become aware of the implicit framings in sustainabilityrelated discourses. In the extant literature, sustainability challenges such as climate change, sustainable development, and rapid urbanization have largely been treated as "pre-set," fixed topics, while possible solutions have been discussed intensively. In contrast, this book examines the framings applied to the sustainability challenges themselves, and illustrates the road that led us to the current sustainability discourse. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.

Framing in Sustainability Science
Environments around the globe are undergoing human-induced change. Human population growth, rapid urbanization, expanding global economy, and the diffusion of western consumer lifestyles are placing increasing pressure on natural and social systems. Global institutions, nation-states, and local communities are seeking to identify and employ sustainable solutions to these environmental and socio-economic challenges. Sustainability has emerged as a policy discourse that seeks to balance the desire and need for economic growth with the protection of the environment, and the promotion of social and environmental justice. This book contributes to the study and search for sustainable responses to global environmental change. The authors of this volume explore environmental change in different places around the world and the diverse responses to such changes. The chapters demonstrate the need for place-specific sustainable development; the authors suggest the need to see sustainable responses to environmental change as a negotiated outcome between various social actors living and working in diverse spatial, environmental and socio-economic contexts. Environmental Change and Sustainability is a timely international examination of the relationship between environmental change and sustainability. As an InTech open source volume, current and cutting edge research methodologies and research results are quickly published for the academic policy-making communities. Dimensions of environmental change and sustainability explored in this volume include: Natural science approaches to study of environmental change Importance of perception in human understanding of environmental change Role of external events and institutions in shaping sustainable responses to environmental change Importance of bottom-up sustainable development as key to reducing environmental risk and community vulnerability The need for place-based sustainable development that combines local conditions with global processes Creation of a sustainable development model that synthesizes local, traditional knowledge of the environment and environmental management with the techniques and understandings generated by modern environmental science

Urbanization and Its Impact on Socio-Economic Growth in Developing Regions
Land use transition is the manifestation of land use and land cover change (LUCC) and is also a major research focus of the Global Land Project (GLP), as well as land system science (LSS). Land provides essential resources to society, and its changes have large consequences for the local and global environment and human well-being. The past, current, and projected state and dynamics of land use represent the major focus of land use science, which is influenced by long-term anthropogenic changes. The concept of land use transition highlights the fact that land use change demonstrates a non-linear process and is related to other societal and biophysical disturbances through a series of transitions. Land use transitions can be seen as the primary forces driving the transformation and development of the rural-urban territorial system and bringing about direct socioeconomic and environmental effects on regional sustainability. Land use transitions can be measured by changes in both the dominant morphology (e.g., quantity, structure, and spatial patterns) and the recessive morphology (e.g., quality, property rights, management mode, fixed input, productive ability, and function) of land use. The aim of this book was to detect or examine the processes, patterns, and socioeconomic and environmental effects of land use transitions and the mechanisms of human-land interactions against the context of rapid urbanization and industrialization from a wide range of perspectives, as well as the provision of solutions for sustainable land use based on scientific findings.

What Makes a Sustainable City?
This open access book offers both conceptual and empirical descriptions of how to "frame" sustainability challenges. It defines "framing" in the context of sustainability science as the process of identifying subjects, setting boundaries, and defining problems. The chapters are grouped into two sections: a conceptual section and a case section. The conceptual section introduces readers to theories and concepts that can be used to achieve multiple understandings of sustainability; in turn, the case section highlights different ways of comprehending sustainability for researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders. The book offers diverse illustrations of what sustainability concepts entail, both conceptually and empirically, and will help readers become aware of the implicit framings in sustainabilityrelated discourses. In the extant literature, sustainability challenges such as climate change, sustainable development, and rapid urbanization have largely been treated as "pre-set," fixed topics, while possible solutions have been discussed intensively. In contrast, this book examines the framings applied to the sustainability challenges themselves, and illustrates the road that led us to the current sustainability discourse. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.