Download or read book Connections Mobilities Urban Prospects and Environmental Threats written by Louis F. Cassar and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-10 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides specialized insights into selected Mediterranean geographies, such as info-communication technologies, tourism, urbanization and climate change threats, with a focus on emerging and often overlooked issues, in light of the impact of current trends of globalization and the financial ‘crisis’, in the broader context of contemporary world processes of environmental change and accelerated human mobility. Specifically, the book contains sections on emergent and increasingly significant or highly innovative issues specific to the Mediterranean, often providing alternative perspectives on various pressing issues, such as the northward shift of climatic types; littoralisation processes and urbanization trends; tourism growth problems; human exposure to environmental stresses; and the boom in info-communication technologies. As such this book provides new insights into a region that has absorbed the sustained impact of human growth in precarious environments, often at the interface of many worlds, co-existing at various states of development and inter-scalar or cross-border interrelationships. This volume does not cover every aspect of the human and physical geographies of the Mediterranean region, but rather addresses contemporary issues of increasing significance to the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on emergent and pressing issues, as well as new perspectives or methods of approach, of special relevance to the Mediterranean. The core of contributions to this volume originated from an initiative undertaken by the International Geographical Union (IGU) Mediterranean Renaissance Program, now the Commission on the Mediterranean Basin (COMB). Most papers are authored by members of the latter Commission and additional papers are included, in order to cover more aspects of contemporary Mediterranean geographies.

Download or read book Urbanization in a Mediterranean Climate written by Joanna Peterson Solins and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urbanization is widely implicated in the alteration of ecosystem structures and processes, but the form of these changes can vary across geographic contexts. Regional differences in the impacts of urbanization may be particularly pronounced in riparian ecosystems, which are sensitive to the hydrologic disturbances that accompany urban development. My dissertation explores the influences of urban hydrology on riparian vegetation and soil properties in California’s understudied Mediterranean climate. I focus on the interaction of two key alterations associated with development in this region—stream channel incision caused by increased stormflow magnitude, and the presence of dry-season flow in formerly intermittent streams due to water inputs from urban landscape irrigation and wastewater. I hypothesized that channel incision would limit the effect of dry-season stream flow on riparian water availability, and investigated whether this interaction had long-term effects on riparian characteristics. I studied riparian zones along small streams in the Sacramento metropolitan region, where highly localized water inputs and a variety of stormwater practices and land use histories have created a mosaic of intermittent and perennial stream reaches across a gradient of channel incision. I asked whether channel incision interacted with dry-season stream flow to influence water stress in riparian trees, the composition of the riparian woody vegetation community, and riparian soil and understory vegetation characteristics. I found that the presence of stream flow could substantially reduce dry-season water stress in two focal tree species, but only at low levels of channel incision. Carbon isotopes in leaves from the same trees provided evidence that channel incision also causes higher levels of water stress throughout the growing season. This chronic impact of channel incision was strongly associated with differences in the riparian woody vegetation community. High levels of channel incision favored upland-associated native oak trees, while both exotic species and riparian-associated native species were more common along streams with low banks. Dry-season flow was less strongly related to community composition, but appears to be key for the establishment of riparian-associated species under drought conditions. I examined riparian soils and understory vegetation not only on top of stream banks, but also directly at the margin of the baseflow channel, a critical location for nutrient cycling in arid systems. Channel incision reduced the effects of dry-season stream flow on soil moisture in both locations, and this interaction had persistent effects on soil organic matter and perennial vegetation cover on top of stream banks. At the stream margin, channel incision was associated with a dramatic decline in soil organic matter, while dry-season flow increased the cover of perennial vegetation. This work demonstrates that urban channel incision and dry-season stream flow have persistent effects on riparian properties, both in interaction and individually. While perennial stream flow is not the historical condition in this area, my findings suggest that urban water subsidies can enhance riparian ecosystem services such as primary production and nutrient cycling, predominantly in the absence of channel incision. Urban management practices that influence the magnitude of stormflows and dry-season baseflows can thus substantially affect riparian ecosystem function.

Download or read book Smart Cities in the Mediterranean written by Anastasia Stratigea and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-04-25 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book sheds new light on the current and future challenges faced by cities, and presents approaches, options and solutions enabled by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the smart city context. By focusing on sustainability objectives within a rapidly changing social, economic, environmental and technological setting, it explores a variety of planning challenges faced by contemporary cities and the power of smart city developments in terms of providing innovative tools, approaches, methodologies and technologies to help cities cope with these challenges. Key issues addressed include smart city (e-) planning and (e-)participation; smart data management to facilitate decision-making processes in cities and insular communities on a variety of topics; smart and sustainable management aspects of climate change, water scarcity, mobility, energy, infrastructure, tourism, blue growth, risk assessment; etc. The book presents current and potential pathways and applications for the evolution of smart cities and communities, taking into consideration the unique problems and opportunities emanating from their specific geographical location. The case study examples mainly concern small and medium-sized cities and communities as well as insular areas in the Mediterranean region, while also incorporating lessons learned from other parts of the world. Their focus is on the specific opportunities and threats emerging in these urban and insular environments, which are characterized by their role as globally known tourist destinations, their coastal or port character, and unique cultural resources, as well as the high rated vulnerability in very many sustainability respects (social, economic, biodiversity, urbanization, migration, poverty, etc.) to be found in the Mediterranean region at large

Download or read book Mediterranean Urbanization 800 600 BC written by Robin Osborne and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-10-27 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban life as we know it in the Mediterranean began in the early Iron Age: settlements of great size and internal diversity appear in the archaeological record. This collection of essays offers for the first time a systematic discussion of the beginnings of urbanization across the Mediterranean, from Cyprus through Greece and Italy to France and Spain. Leading scholars in the field look critically at what is meant by urbanization, and analyse the social processes that lead to the development of social complexity and the growth of towns. The introduction to the volume focuses on the history of the archaeology of urbanization and argues that proper understanding of the phenomenon demands loose and flexible criteria for what is termed a 'town'. The following eight chapters examine the development of individual settlements and patterns of urban settlement in Cyprus, Greece, Etruria, Latium, southern Italy, Sardinia, southern France and Spain. These chapters not only provide a general review of current knowledge of urban settlements of this period, but also raise significant issues of urbanization and the economy, urbanization and political organization, and of the degree of regionalism and diversity to be found within individual towns. The three analytical chapters which conclude this collection look more broadly at the town as a cultural phenomenon that has to be related to wider cultural trends, as an economic phenomenon that has to be related to changes in the Mediterranean economy and as a dynamic phenomenon, not merely a point on the map. Wide ranging in its geographical coverage, this volume will be essential reading for scholars and students of archaeology, settlement studies, the archaic period and geographers interested in the history of urban forms.

Download or read book The Mediterranean region under climate change written by Collectif and published by IRD Éditions. This book was released on 2018-11-19 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book has been published by Allenvi (French National Alliance for Environmental Research) to coincide with the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Marrakesh. It is the outcome of work by academic researchers on both sides of the Mediterranean and provides a remarkable scientific review of the mechanisms of climate change and its impacts on the environment, the economy, health and Mediterranean societies. It will also be valuable in developing responses that draw on “scientific evidence” to address the issues of adaptation, resource conservation, solutions and risk prevention. Reflecting the full complexity of the Mediterranean environment, the book is a major scientific contribution to the climate issue, where various scientific considerations converge to break down the boundaries between disciplines.

Download or read book The Mediterranean City in Transition written by Lila Leontidou and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1990-04-26 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Postwar capitalist development has involved a transition from polarization toward diffuse urbanization and flexibility. The timing and form of this transition and its effects on spatial structures have varied, as is especially evident in the case of Mediterranean Europe. Focusing upon Greater Athens between 1948 and 1981 - the crucial period of the transition - Lila Leontidou explores the role of social classes in urban development.

Download or read book Urbanization under a Changing Climate written by Jianxun He and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2021-06-18 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In response to the increasing urbanization, advances in the science of urban hydrology have improved urban water system management, creating more livable cities in which public safety and health, as well as the environment, are protected. The ultimate goal of urban water management is to mimic the hydrological cycle prior to urbanization. On top of urbanization, climate change, which has been demonstrated to alter the hydrological cycle in all respects, has introduced additional challenges to managing urban water systems. To mitigate and adapt to urbanization under a changing climate, understanding key hydrologic components should expand to include complex issues brought forth by climate change. Thus, effective and efficient measures can be formulated. This Special Issue of Water presents a variety of research papers that span a range of spatial and temporal scales of relevance in different societies’ efforts in adapting to the eminent changes in climate and the continuous changes in the landscape. From mitigating water quality in permeable pavements and bioretention swales to understanding changes in groundwater recharge in large regions, this Special Issue examines the state-of-the-art in sustainable urban design for adaptation and resiliency.

Download or read book Urbanization and Health written by WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and published by . This book was released on 2011-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The five case studies from Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Sudan and Tunisia presented in this publication provide a brief overview of the formidable health challenges faced in urban areas in the Region. The preliminary evidence presented by these studies provides a powerful argument for city planners, municipal authorities, nongovernmental organizations and civil society in their efforts to improve urban health. It is intended to be used as an advocacy tool to sensitize policy-makers and parliamentarians to urban health issues and influence them to make positive changes. It underscores the need for intersectoral collaborative action by governments, health development partners, United Nations agencies, nongovernmental organizations, medical professionals, and civil society.

Download or read book Landscape Disturbance and Biodiversity in Mediterranean Type Ecosystems written by Philip W. Rundel and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human impact on natural landscapes through urbanization and agricultural expansion are becoming more and more dramatic and are the cause of serious environmental problems. This volume examines the effect of landscape disturbance on plant and animal diversity in the five mediterranean-climate regions of the world. It begins with three introductory chapters broadly reviewing the issues of landscape degradation. Further contributions describe regional land use conflicts in each of the five regions. Landscape disturbance and plant diversity, and landscape disturbance and animal diversity are treated in separate chapters. Four contributions deal with demography and ecophysiology in vegetation succession following disturbance. The volume closes with a consideration of the future addressing aspects of environmental politics.

Download or read book Ancient Urban Planning in the Mediterranean written by Samantha L. Martin-McAuliffe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-12-06 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New Directions in Urban Planning in the Ancient Mediterranean assembles the most up-to-date research on the design and construction of ancient cities in the wider Mediterranean. In particular, this edited collection reappraises and sheds light on ’lost’ Classical plans. Whether intentional or not, each ancient plan has the capacity to embody specific messages linked to such notions as heritage and identity. Over millennia, cities may be divested of their buildings and monuments, and can experience periods of dramatic rebuilding, but their plans often have the capacity to endure. As such, this volume focuses on Greek and Roman grid traces - both literal and figurative. This rich selection of innovative studies explores the ways that urban plans can assimilate into the collective memory of cities and smaller settlements. In doing so, it also highlights how collective memory adapts to or is altered by the introduction of re-aligned plans and newly constructed monuments.

Download or read book Effects of Climate Change and Urban Development on the Distribution and Conservation of Vegetation in a Mediterranean Type Ecosystem written by Bray de Jesús Beltrán Villarreal and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate and land use change are projected to threaten biodiversity over the coming century. However, the combined effects of these threats on biodiversity and the capacity of current conservation networks to protect species' habitat are not well understood. The goals of this study were to evaluate the effect of climate change and urban development on vegetation distribution in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem; to identify the primary source of uncertainty in suitable habitat predictions; and to evaluate how well conservation areas protect future habitat in the Southwest ecoregion of the California Floristic Province. I used a consensus-based modeling approach combining three different species distribution models to predict current and future suitable habitat for 19 plant species representing different plant functional types (PFT) defined by fire-response (obligate seeders, resprouting shrubs), and life forms (herbs, subshurbs). I also examined the response of species grouped by range sizes (large, small). I used two climate models, two emission scenarios, two thresholds, and high-resolution (90m resolution) environmental data to create a range of potential scenarios. I evaluated the effectiveness of an existing conservation network to protect suitable habitat for rare species in light of climate and land use change. The results indicate that the area of suitable habitat for each species varied depending on the climate model, emission scenario, and threshold combination. The suitable habitat for up to four species could disappear from the ecoregion, while suitable habitat for up to 15 other species could decrease under climate change conditions. The centroid of the species' suitable environmental conditions could shift up to 440 km. Large net gains in suitable habitat were predicted for a few species. The suitable habitat area for herbs has a small response to climate change, while obligate seeders could be the most affected PFT. The results indicate that the other two PFTs gain a considerable amount of suitable habitat area. Several rare species could lose suitable habitat area inside designated conservation areas while gaining suitable habitat area outside. Climate change is predicted to be more important than urban development as a driver of habitat loss for vegetation in this region in the coming century. These results indicate that regional analyses of this type are useful and necessary to understand the dynamics of drivers of change at the regional scale and to inform decision making at this scale.

Download or read book Urban Microclimate Modelling for Comfort and Energy Studies written by Massimo Palme and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-04-08 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ​​This book discusses urban microclimate and heat-related risks in urban areas, brought on by the combination of global climate change effects and local modification of climate determined by extensive urbanization such as the ‘Urban heat island’ phenomenon. This matter is relevant to almost all urbanized areas in the world, where the increase of urban population and air temperature is expected to endanger both the overall health of the population and the energy supply for the functioning of urban systems. The book details the inter-relationship between urban morphology, microclimate and building energy performance and presents a multidisciplinary approach that brings together Urban Climatology, Engineering and Architectural knowledge to support the development of reliable models and tools for research and practice. This book is a useful tool for architects and building energy modelers, urban planners and geographers who need a practical guide to realize basic urban microclimate simulation for use in both academic research and planning practice.

Download or read book Peri urban Conflicts and Environmental Challenges written by Antonio Tomao and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2022-11-30 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban expansion and the preservation of fringe landscapes are clearly interconnected issues. This book discusses the relationship between landscape and peri-urban agriculture and the possible implications of sustainable land management for fringe land quality, proposing a framework to evaluate the latent nexus between agro-forest systems and human settlements in Southern Europe. Eco-sustainable planning integrated with multi-faceted policy actions (social, economic, cultural and political dimensions) is a relevant approach to reinforce sustainability of fringe landscapes. Permanent assessment of these factors allows for the implementation of different development scenarios. The present work definitely contributes to systemic and multi-scale approaches informing environmental policies, with the aim of achieving an integrated management of peri-urban agricultural landscapes.

Download or read book The Urban Heat Island written by Iain D. Stewart and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Urban Heat Island (UHI) is an area of growing interest for many people studying the urban environment and local/global climate change. The UHI has been scientifically studied for 200 years and, although it is an apparently simple phenomenon, there is considerable confusion around the different types of UHI and their assessment. The Urban Heat Island—A Guidebook provides simple instructions for measuring and analysing the phenomenon, as well as greater context for defining the UHI and the impacts it can have. Readers will be empowered to work within a set of guidelines that enable direct comparison of UHI effects across diverse settings, while informing a wide range of climate mitigation and adaptation programs to modify human behaviour and the built form. This opens the door to true global assessments of local climate change in cities. Urban planning and design strategies can then be evaluated for their effectiveness at mitigating these changes. Covers both on-surface and near-surface, or canopy, measurements and impacts of Urban Heat Islands (UHI) Provides a set of best practices and guidelines for UHI observation and analysis Includes both conceptual overviews and practical instructions for a wide range of uses

Download or read book Security and Environment in the Mediterranean written by Hans Günter Brauch and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 1186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this volume security specialists, peace researchers, environmental scholars, demographers as well as climate, desertification, water, food and urbanisation specialists from the Middle East and North Africa, Europe and North America review security and conflict prevention in the Mediterranean. They also analyse NATO’s Mediterranean security dialogue and offer conceptualisations on security and perceptions of security challenges as seen in North and South. The latter half of the book analyses environmental security and conflicts in the Mediterranean and environmental consequences of World War II, the Gulf War, the Balkan wars and the Middle East conflict. It also examines factors of global environmental change: population growth, climate change, desertification, water scarcity, food and urbanisation issues as well as natural disasters. Furthermore, it draws conceptual conclusions for a fourth phase of research on human and environmental security and peace as well as policy conclusions for cooperation and partnership in the Mediterranean in the 21st century.

Download or read book Making Cities written by Margarita Gleba and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large and complex settlements appeared across the north Mediterranean during the period 1000-500 bc, from the Aegean basin to Iberia, as well as north of the Alps. The region also became considerably more interconnected. Urban life and networks fostered new consumption practices, requiring different economic and social structures to sustain them. This book considers the emergence of cities in Mediterranean Europe, with a focus on the economy. What was distinctive about urban lifeways across the Mediterranean? How did different economic activities interact, and how did they transform power hierarchies? How was urbanism sustained by economic structures, social relations and mobility? The authors bring to the debate recently excavated sites and regions that may be unfamiliar to wider (especially Anglophone) scholarship, alongside fresh reappraisals of well-known cities. The variety of urban life, economy and local dynamics prompts us to reconsider ancient urbanism through a comparative perspective.

Download or read book Environmental Challenges in the Mediterranean 2000 2050 written by Antonio Marquina and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses six key factors that will affect environmental policies in the Mediterranean region during the next fifty years: population growth, climate change, soil erosion and desertification, water scarcity, food production, and urbanization and pollution. The authors assess these as potential sources of violent conflict. The interdisciplinary approach makes this a relevant and useful reference for a broad range of professionals, specialists and researchers.