Urban sustainability : a global perspective /

Editor Vojnovic has assembled a plethora of informative and timely essays that explore a wide range of themes concerned with maintaining and strengthening the social, physical, and economic aspects of the urban fabric found worldwide. Along with a preface, foreword, and an introductory overview, the 25 essays provide ample material for dedicated readers. The subtitle denotes an emphasis on a global perspective, and this proves to be true for both the subject matter and the authors. The diversity of the text is most welcome, and should have broad appeal for readers from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and geographical locations. While the sheer volume of information makes this book less than ideal for casual readers, it would be fine for specialized collections. The lack of an index is a particularly problematic oversight that makes it difficult to use the book as a reference, and this ultimately hinders the reader's ability to navigate such a large text. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. P. Gamsby Brandeis University

More than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, and exponential growth is expected for cities and metropolitan centers in the first decades of the 21st century. In this well-researched and thoughtfully edited volume of 25 case studies, Vojnovic (Michigan State Univ.) enlists urban scholars around the world to address the physical, political, socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and health challenges created by urban growth within local, national, and international frameworks. His brief overview of the core challenges and issues created by megacities and urbanization sets the tone for the essays that follow. The contributors explore the complexities of sustainability and equity within the context of global wealth concentration using a variety of maps, photos, tables, charts, and statistics to support their analyses. Each essay ranges in length from 20 to 40 pages and concludes with footnotes and references. There is unfortunately no index. Vojnovic's thesis that a global initiative involving all levels of government and society is necessary to successfully address the inequality of resources and wealth in our urban world is confirmed by the in-depth and sagacious interpretations of the essayists. VERDICT A thought-provoking work that will best serve upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in academic libraries.-Rob Tench, Perry Lib., Old Dominion Univ. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.