The goal of advancing eco cities often remains confined to political or technological issues. This book establishes a focus on architectural and infrastructural design approaches to sustainable urban planning. Starting out from a critical assessment of five prototypical eco cities of recent decades, the book identifies fields in which architectural and urban designers can use their creative skills and methods to achieve sustainable results on an urban scale. Sustainability is undergoing a shift of focus from quantitative measures toward designoriented, interactive interventions. The range of qualitative solutions in ecological design is discussed here in four topical sections on "Materialize", "Mobilize", "Simulate" and "Transform". For example, "Materialize" explores the potential of eco-design beyond the traditional palette of materials to show how spatial boundaries can be re-imagined as gradients of conditioned versus unconditioned space, working with climatic conditions rather than material boundaries to help generate new forms of urban architecture. Notes Includes index.

"The regulation of innovation and the optimal design of legal institutions in an environment of uncertainty are two of the most important policy challenges of the twenty-first century. Innovation is critical to economic growth. Regulatory design decisions, and, in particular, competition policy and intellectual property regimes, can have profound consequences for economic growth. However, remarkably little is known about the relationship between innovation, competition, and regulatory policy. Any legal regime must attempt to assess the tradeoffs associated with rules that will affect incentives to innovate, allocative efficiency, competition, and freedom of economic actors to commercialize the fruits of their innovative labors. The essays in this book approach this critical set of problems from an economic perspective, relying on the tools of microeconomics, quantitative analysis, and comparative institutional analysis to explore and begin to provide answers to the myriad challenges facing policymakers"--

From the Publisher: Green Technology is an eight-volume set that examines the relationship between human activities and their sometimes harmful consequences for the environment and explores new methods of repairing and restoring the Earth. Approaching environmental issues confronting society from a technological perspective has spawned significant controversy, and the books in this set present all sides of the debate. Designed to complement science curricula, the set also covers relevant history and new green technologies and innovations that will contribute to the field in the future. Environmental Engineering: Designing a Sustainable Future examines how this field, which incorporates not only aspects of art and design but also physics, geology, ecology, and the chemistry of matter, evolved from a discipline of civil engineering. Environmental engineers learn how to work with nature to improve and control the quality of the land, air, and water for the benefit of human and nonhuman cohabitation. Sidebars, figures, and case studies enhance fundamental concepts and examine urgent issues related to the "natural future" of the environment. The volume includes information on: aerodynamics; ecological and energy "architecture"; energy-efficient electronics; innovations in personal vehicles; landscape design; micro climates; solar homes; sustainable manufacturing; transit systems; and wastewater. The book contains 50 color photographs and line illustrations, five appendixes, a glossary, a detailed list of print and Internet resources, and an index. Green Technology is essential for high school students, teachers, and general readers who seek information on the important issues that affect the environment worldwide.

Synopsis: Green Technology is an eight-volume set that examines the relationship between human activities and their sometimes harmful consequences for the environment and explores new methods of repairing and restoring the Earth. Approaching environmental issues confronting society from a technological perspective has spawned significant controversy, and the books in this set present all sides of the debate. Designed to complement science curricula, the set also covers relevant history and new green technologies and innovations that will contribute to the field in the future. Renewable Energy: Sources and Methods examines the current technologies in renewable energy, a critical subject given that the world increases its energy consumption between 1 and 3 percent each year. Considering the current rate of energy consumption and the consequences of continuing at this rate, the book explains how the main conventional sources of energy-including coal, oil, and gas-affect economies worldwide. The book also focuses on the remarkable diversity of ideas and innovations in the field of alternative energy. Sidebars, figures, and case studies enhance fundamental concepts and examine urgent issues related to the future of the environment. The volume includes information on: alternative vehicles; biomass; the biorefining industry; "clean" energy; converting solid waste to energy; Earth's energy sources; green building design and construction; recycling; water conservation; and worldwide energy programs. The book contains more than 40 color photographs and line illustrations, five appendixes, a glossary, a detailed list of print and Internet resources, and an index. Green Technology is essential for general readers who seek information on the important issues that affect the environment worldwide.

"Raymond Noe's Employee Training and Development sets the standard in this course area. First introduced in 1998, ETD became the market-defining text within 6 months of publication. Its popularity is due to its lively writing style and relevant examples of the most up-to-date developments in training, research and practice, including the strategic role of training and the use of new technologies in training. Employee Training and Development strikes a balance between research and real company practices. It provides students with a solid background in the fundamentals of training and development such as needs assessment, transfer of training, learning environment design, methods, and evaluation. To help students better understand the relationship between the main elements of the book, the book is now organized into five different parts. Part I focuses on the context for training and development and includes a chapter devoted to strategic training. Part II includes coverage related to the fundamentals of designing training programs. Chapters in Part II focus on needs assessment, learning theories and program design, transfer of training, and training evaluation. Part III focuses on training and development methods and includes chapters devoted to traditional training methods, e-learning and the use of technology in training, employee development, and special issues in employee development, such as managing diversity, succession planning, and cross-cultural preparation. Chapters in Part IV cover career issues and how companies manage careers, as well as challenges in career management, such as dealing with work-life conflict, retirement, and socialization. Finally, Part V provides a look at the future of training and development. "--Publisher's website.