First published in 2005, this book examines the contribution of planning and integrated landscape management to the process of reversing the continuing deterioration of our natural environment. Planning for integrated buffer zones is important to conserve national parks, nature reserves, threatened habitats, other ecologically sensitive areas and heritage sites. This book begins with an examination of the role and nature of planning. It identifies the main types of planning problems and details a 'model' planning process that can be usefully applied to resolve them. Several theoretical and practical approaches to buffering environmentally sensitive areas are evaluated and a classification of existing approaches is detailed. Case studies are included to illustrate and test some of these approaches. The book concludes by recommending that integrated buffer zone planning should become a standard tool in real-life environmental planning and management. To facilitate this, an innovative approach to the design and implementation of integrated buffers is offered, including a step-by-step planning guide.

Welcome to the proceedings of the 2005 IFIP International Conference on - bedded and Ubiquitous Computing (EUC 2005), which was held in Nagasaki, Japan, December 6–9, 2005. Embedded and ubiquitous computing is emerging rapidly as an exciting new paradigm to provide computing and communication services all the time, - erywhere. Its systems are now pervading every aspect of life to the point that they are hidden inside various appliances or can be worn unobtrusively as part of clothing and jewelry. This emergence is a natural outcome of research and technological advances in embedded systems, pervasive computing and c- munications, wireless networks, mobile computing, distributed computing and agent technologies, etc. Its tremendous impact on academics, industry, gove- ment, and daily life can be compared to that of electric motors over the past century, in fact it but promises to revolutionize life much more profoundly than elevators, electric motors or even personal computers. The EUC 2005 conference provided a forum for engineers and scientists in academia, industry, and government to address profound issues including te- nical challenges, safety, and social, legal, political, and economic issues, and to present and discuss their ideas, results, work in progress, and experience on all aspects of embedded and ubiquitous computing.

This book presents strategies and models for cultural heritage enhancement from a multidisciplinary perspective. It discusses identifying historical, current and possible future models for the revival and enhancement of cultural heritage, taking into consideration three factors – respect for the inherited, contemporary and sustainable future development. The goal of the research is to contribute to the enhancement of past cultural heritage renovation and enhancement methods, improve the methods of spatial protection of heritage and contribute to the development of the local community through the use of cultural, and in particular, architectural heritage. Cultural heritage is perceived primarily through conservation, but that comes with limitations. If heritage is perceived and experienced solely through conservation, it becomes a static object. It needs to be made an active subject, which implies life in heritage as well as new purposes and new life for abandoned heritage. Heritage can be considered as a resource that generates revenue for itself and for the sustainability of the local community. To achieve this, it should be developed in accordance with contemporary needs and technological achievements, but on scientifically based and professional criteria and on sustainable models. The research presented in this book is based on the approach of Heritage Urbanism in a combination of experiments (case studies) and theory.