Exploring the history of the Internet, from pre-conception, to the possibilities of an Internet-based future, The Internet City presents ways in which the Internet and urban life intersect. The book interprets how the contemporary city is becoming fully based on Internet technologies in all of its major dimensions: the daily activities of urbanites and urban companies, the operations of urban systems, and the functioning of the upcoming driverless vehicles.

Tackling the issue in a systematic, scientific manner, this book also examines Islamic online communications, online censorship, and Internet use by the civic society as an alternative channel for its mostly oppressed voices.

"[An] inspired tour of the post modern city…Invigorating." —Mark Kingwell, Harper’s Hailed as an “original and fascinating book” (Times Literary Supplement), A History of Future Cities is Daniel Brook’s captivating investigation of four “instant cities”—St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Dubai—that sought to catapult themselves into the future by emulating the West.

Historical geographic material, like maps, plans, and air photos, although collected and persevered by libraries, archives, and other heritage organizations, are often hidden from the general public. They can be difficult to find, access, and use. Fortunately, these caches of cartographic gems have been recognized and valued for their significant contribution to research. As a result, many of these collections have been recently digitized and made available to the public, directly and freely, online. Acting as a comprehensive guide to online historical, cartographic and other visual resources, Discovering and Using Historical Geographic Resources on the Web provides library and archival staff, and their users, with information on how to locate, interpret, understand, and use these resources. Even for experts, this book can serve as a handy reference that summarizes the different types of maps published, providing comprehensive lists of where to access them. This book is written for all library staff members who answer reference questions and provide library instruction, and for those who are interested in digitizing their own cartographic collections. It will also attract history buffs and scholars in environmental studies, history, earth sciences, anthropology, and more.

With the increasing worldwide trend in population migration into urban centers, we are beginning to see the emergence of the kinds of mega-cities which were once the stuff of science fiction. It is clear to most urban planners and developers that accommodating the needs of the tens of millions of inhabitants of those megalopolises in an orderly and uninterrupted manner will require the seamless integration of and real-time monitoring and response services for public utilities and transportation systems. Part speculative look into the future of the world’s urban centers, part technical blueprint, this visionary book helps lay the groundwork for the communication networks and services on which tomorrow’s “smart cities” will run. Written by a uniquely well-qualified author team, this book provides detailed insights into the technical requirements for the wireless sensor and actuator networks required to make smart cities a reality.

The dramatic advances in computer and telecommunications technologies such as the Internet, virtual reality, smart cards or multimedia applications are increasingly regarded as ushering in a new form of society: the information society. Politicians, policy makers and business gurus are all encouraging us to join the information superhighway at the nearest junction or risk being excluded from the social and economic benefits of the information revolution. Cyberspace Divide critically considers the complex relationship between technological change, its effect upon social divisions, its consequences for social action and the emerging strategies for social inclusion in the Information Age. Cyberspace Divide will be invaluable reading for those studying social policy, sociology, computing and communication studies.

Cities are now home to nearly half of the world's population, and the issue of sustainable development is one of the most pressing challenges facing the international community in the 21st century. This publication is the first in-depth attempt to monitor and analyse the realities faced by urban populations around the world. It explores a range of issues, trends and policy responses in five major areas relating to: shelter, society, environment, economy and governance. It introduces the 'City Development Index', which has been developed by the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). Over time, this should become a standard monitoring tool used to track regional, national and city level progress towards implementing the Habitat Agenda. The report concludes that local democracy is a key factor for the future of all cities.