At its most basic, historic preservation is about keeping old places alive, in active use, and relevant to the needs of communities today. As cities across America experience a remarkable renaissance, and more and more young, diverse families choose to live, work, and play in historic neighborhoods, the promise and potential of using our older and historic buildings to revitalize our cities is stronger than ever. This urban resurgence is a national phenomenon, boosting cities from Cleveland to Buffalo and Portland to Pittsburgh. Experts offer a range of theories on what is driving the return to the city—from the impact of the recent housing crisis to a desire to be socially engaged, live near work, and reduce automobile use. But there’s also more to it. Time and again, when asked why they moved to the city, people talk about the desire to live somewhere distinctive, to be some place rather than no place. Often these distinguishing urban landmarks are exciting neighborhoods—Miami boasts its Art Deco district, New Orleans the French Quarter. Sometimes, as in the case of Baltimore’s historic rowhouses, the most distinguishing feature is the urban fabric itself. While many aspects of this urban resurgence are a cause for celebration, the changes have also brought to the forefront issues of access, affordable housing, inequality, sustainability, and how we should commemorate difficult history. This book speaks directly to all of these issues. In The Past and Future City, Stephanie Meeks, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, describes in detail, and with unique empirical research, the many ways that saving and restoring historic fabric can help a city create thriving neighborhoods, good jobs, and a vibrant economy. She explains the critical importance of preservation for all our communities, the ways the historic preservation field has evolved to embrace the challenges of the twenty-first century, and the innovative work being done in the preservation space now. This book is for anyone who cares about cities, places, and saving America’s diverse stories, in a way that will bring us together and help us better understand our past, present, and future.

This book compiles essays by over thirty urban pastors, community organizers, seminary professors, and church leaders. Their essays seek to present creative opportunities for urban ministries to bring hope and renewal to their congregations and communities.

The book looks forward to the future of technological application in urban planning, construction, and property administration. The book not only discusses technology adoption tactics but also gives insights for researchers and industry executives to better comprehend market dynamics. It is an excellent resource for people interested in researching technological advances and their possible influence on future market dynamics. Although it seems like cities beyond the 2030s will merely be full of skyscrapers, this book offers a profound narrative that transcends the current applications of digital or material technology, envisioning a future wherein advanced mechanisms such as quantum rules, the metaverse, and sensing technologies redefine our urban existence. The author, who has been named research leader of the year and has over three decades of innovation experience, takes you on a captivating journey beyond the cityscapes of today. Based on his award-winning scientific publications and years of innovative practice or study, this book provides an insightful analysis of the impact of future technologies on our future professional lives. Drawing inspiration from historical cities and the ever-present quest for Utopia, the author proposes a new concept as our societal and technological paradigms shift: Qutopia—a term poised for further exploration. The future multiverses, which include interconnected virtual cities, are dynamic, ever-evolving entities allowing people to travel to the past and future or in parallel worlds. The harmonious interplay between cutting-edge technology and the human spirit will define Future cities. This thought-provoking tour begins with an overview of the digital technology market's future and its potential seismic impact on our daily practices. From the application of smart contact lenses to the evolution of job roles and the organic process of job redundancy, this book paints a vivid picture of a radically transformed urban life. Then, it explores how these innovations will shape future cities, leverage sustainability, and tackle climate change. This book opens a dialogue with the future, inviting readers to ponder the evolution of cities, the transformation of our practices, and the skills required for future jobs. Join us on this journey to uncover how the fusion of technology and urban development is crafting new narratives for the cities of tomorrow.

Become empowered to build and maintain smarter cities At its core, a smart city is a collection of technological responses to the growing demands, challenges, and complexities of improving the quality of life for billions of people now living in urban centers across the world. The movement to create smarter cities is still in its infancy, but ambitious and creative projects in all types of cities—big and small—around the globe are beginning to make a big difference. New ideas, powered by technology, are positively changing how we move humans and products from one place to another; create and distribute energy; manage waste; combat the climate crisis; build more energy efficient buildings; and improve basic city services through digitalization and the smart use of data. Inside this book you’ll find out: What it really means to create smarter cities How our urban environments are being transformed Big ideas for improving the quality of life for communities Guidance on how to create a smart city strategy The essential role of data in building better cities The major new technologies ready to make a difference in every community Smart Cities For Dummies will give you the knowledge to understand this important topic in depth and be ready to be an agent of change in your community.

This book presents the proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision (AICV’2023) which will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, during March 05–07, 2023. This international conference, which highlighted essential research and developments in the fields of artificial intelligence and computer visions, was organized by the computer, Networks, Mobility and Modeling Laboratory (IR2M), Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Hassan First University, Settat, Morocco, the Scientific Research Group in Egypt (SRGE), Cairo University, and the Automated Systems & Soft Computing Lab (ASSCL), Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The book is divided into sections, covering the following topics: swarm-based optimization mining and data analysis, deep learning and applications, machine learning and applications, image processing and computer vision, sentiment analysis, and recommendation systems, and software-defined network and telecommunication.

Since cities emerged ten thousand years ago, they have become one of the most impressive artifacts of humanity. But their evolution has been anything but linear—cities have gone through moments of radical change, turning points that redefine their very essence. In this book, a renowned architect and urban planner who studies the intersection of cities and technology argues that we are in such a moment. The authors explain some of the forces behind urban change and offer new visions of the many possibilities for tomorrow’s city. Pervasive digital systems that layer our cities are transforming urban life. The authors provide a front-row seat to this change. Their work at the MIT Senseable City Laboratory allows experimentation and implementation of a variety of urban initiatives and concepts, from assistive condition-monitoring bicycles to trash with embedded tracking sensors, from mobility to energy, from participation to production. They call for a new approach to envisioning cities: futurecraft, a symbiotic development of urban ideas by designers and the public. With such participation, we can collectively imagine, examine, choose, and shape the most desirable future of our cities.