This book examines changes and transitions in the way water is managed in urban environments. This book originated from a joint French-Australian initiative on water and land management held in Montpellier, France. The book delivers practical insights into urban water management. It links scientific insights of researchers with the practical experiences of urban water practitioners to understand and respond to key trends in how urban water is supplied, treated and consumed. The 51 contributors to the volume provide a range of insights, case studies, summaries and analyses of urban water and from a global perspective. The first section on water supply and sanitation includes case studies from Zimbabwe, France and South Africa, among others. Water demand and water economics are addressed in the second section of the book, with chapters on long-term water demand forecasting, the social determinants of water consumption in Australian cities, a study of water quality and consumption in France, governance and regulation of the urban water sector and more. The third section explores water governance and integrated management, with chapters on water management in Quebec, in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond urban area, in Singapore and in Australia. The final section offers perspectives on challenges and future uncertainties for urban water systems in transition. Collectively, the diverse insights provide an important step forward in response to the challenges of sustainably delivering water safely, efficiently and equitably.

This book brings together researchers from different fields, traditions and perspectives to examine the ways in which place and space might (be) unsettle(d). Researchers from across the humanities and social sciences have been drawn to the study of place and space since the 1970s, and the term ‘unsettled’ has been an occasional but recurring presence in this body of scholarship. Though it has been used to invoke a range of meanings, from the dangerous to the liberating, the term itself has rarely been at the centre of sustained examination. This collection highlights the idea of the unsettled in the scholarly investigation of place and space. The respective chapters offer a dialogue between a diverse and eclectic group of researchers, crossing significant disciplinary and interdisciplinary boundaries in the process. The purpose of the collection is to juxtapose a range of different approaches to, and perspectives on, the unsettling of place and space. In doing so, Interdisciplinary Unsettlings of Place and Space makes an important contribution and offers new insights into how scholarship and research into different fields and practices may help us re-envision place and space.

Papua New Guinea is the first book to explore the economic development of this socially complex, rapidly changing nation. Subjects discussed include: * rapid economic growth and political conflict * civil war on the island of Bougainville * population growth and urbanisation * mining: gold, copper and environmental conflicts * uneven development and social divisions.

This publication seeks to explain the nature of settlements termed “urban villages” as set within the context of growing levels of urbanization in contemporary Pacific towns and cities. It investigates the meaning and conceptualization of myriad forms of urban villages by examining the evolution of different types of settlement commonly known as native or traditional villages, and more recently squatter and informal settlements. It views village-like settlements such as squatter and informal settlements as a type of urban village, and examines the role these and other urban villages play in shaping and making the Pacific town and city and arguably, the Pacific village city. It presents key actions that Pacific countries and development partners need to consider as part of urban and national development plans when rethinking how to conceptualize the ongoing phenomena of urban villages while achieving a more equitable distribution of the benefits of urbanization.

Managing rapid urban growth presents a significant challenge in the small independent countries of the Pacific Islands. Although they originated in colonial times, the towns and cities are now distinctively post-colonial, with economies, environments and social structures that reflect unique island characteristics. This transformation has stimulated new concerns, such as the causes and effects of pollution, the need for employment for landless migrants, the need for adequate and affordable housing and the financing of expanding urban services. This book explores the diversity of the urban experience in the ten independent island states, focusing on strategies to secure long term sustainable development.