A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

This open access book identifies and discusses biodiversity’s contribution to physical, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the book identifies the implications of this relationship for nature conservation, public health, landscape architecture and urban planning – and considers the opportunities of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation. This transdisciplinary book will attract a wide audience interested in biodiversity, ecology, resource management, public health, psychology, urban planning, and landscape architecture. The emphasis is on multiple human health benefits from biodiversity - in particular with respect to the increasing challenge of climate change. This makes the book unique to other books that focus either on biodiversity and physical health or natural environments and mental wellbeing. The book is written as a definitive ‘go-to’ book for those who are new to the field of biodiversity and health.

Investigates the important role of green public spaces within the community. 'Green space in the community' refers to the public space that is located in sections of residential land, often a space providing entertainment facilities and a place for the community to interact across various activities. As one of the most important components of urban green space, public green space makes a huge impact on the quality of residents' daily lives. With the rapid development of the urbanisation process, people are paying much more attention to the construction of infrastructure in their living environments, thus the construction of public green space is steadily increasing on a larger scale. The construction of green space not only helps improve the quality of residential living spaces and the level of public welfare, but these spaces also inspire residents' participation in the community. AUTHOR: Born in 1964, Istanbul, Deniz Aslan received his doctoral degree in Istanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, Architectural Design Program. Aslan received the Young Architects Award (with Arda Inceoglu) for the projects Denizli Tennis Club and Ortakoy Jewish Cemetery. As part of 8 National Architecture Awards program, he received the National Architecture Award in project category for ABS Headquarters Building. He played an important role in establishing the Landscape Department in ITU Faculty of Architecture, and he continues his academic career as an instructor in the Architecture Department of the faculty. Aslan is the founding partner of DS Mimarlik (DS Architecture). Yossapon Boonsom is a Thai landscape architect and the director of Shma Company Limited. He received a Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from Chulalongkorn University and continued his studies at a postgraduate level Master of Arts in Urban Management and Architectural Design at the University of Wales (Domus Academy, Milan). After completing his studies, he worked as a landscape architect in Singapore and Barcelona. Returning to Thailand in 2007, he established Shma Company Limited along with two partners, Mr. Namchai Saensupha and Mr. Prapan Napawongdee. Shma Company Limited is a Landscape Architectural design and research practice with a scope of work ranging from residential to urban planning with projects not only in Thailand but also expanding to Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India. SELLING POINTS: - Investigates the important role of green public spaces within the community - The projects in this book are very new with detailed descriptions 370 col., 35 b.andw.

Containing the ill effects of urban sprawl has become a cause celebre for many citizens who are experiencing a decline in the quality of life in the country's cities and suburban areas. Armed with smart growth principles, the new urbanists and many environmentalists advocate the return to more compact, mixed use patterns of development with neighborhood centers that are pedestrian oriented. They urge the development of more walkways, bicycle paths, and public transit hoping to decrease dependence upon the automobile. This Article argues that the creation and preservation of permanently protected community green space must be addressed as an integral part of the smart growth movement. The accessibility of green space in areas close to where people live and work for recreational and alternative greenway transportation purposes is a critical element in any strategy to combat urban sprawl by greater density living. The newly created Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and the Georgia Greenspace Commission, with overlapping jurisdictions, must collaborate to create and maintain community green space. Drawing upon recommendations made by the Community Green Space Advisory Committee in its 1999 Report to the Governor and the General Assembly, this Article identifies and analyzes a number of funding methods that can be implemented under Georgia law to increase the percentage of protected green space in the state. These funding and acquisition techniques, used by many communities in other states, provide a foundation upon which a statewide green space program can be launched. This Article advocates that legal and structural impediments to permanently protected green space creation in Georgia must be identified and removed, a goal already articulated in the recently enacted legislation creating the Georgia Greenspace Commission.

With illustrative and detailed examples drawn from throughout the country, Green Infrastructure advances smart land conservation: large scale thinking and integrated action to plan, protect and manage our natural and restored lands. From the individual parcel to the multi-state region, Green Infrastructure helps each of us look at the landscape in relation to the many uses it could serve, for nature and people, and determine which use makes the most sense. In this wide-ranging primer, leading experts in the field provide a detailed how-to for planners, designers, landscape architects, and citizen activists.