Metropolitan research requires multidisciplinary perspectives in order to do justice to the complexities of metropolitan regions. This volume provides a scholarly and accessible overview of key methods and approaches in metropolitan research from a uniquely broad range of disciplines including architectural history, art history, heritage conservation, literary and cultural studies, spatial planning and planning theory, geoinformatics, urban sociology, economic geography, operations research, technology studies, transport planning, aquatic ecosystems research and urban epidemiology. It is this scope of disciplinary - and increasingly also interdisciplinary - approaches that allows metropolitan research to address recent societal challenges of urban life, such as mobility, health, diversity or sustainability.

This book examines a rapidly emerging new topic in urban settlement patterns: the role of shrinking cities. Much coverage is given to declining fertility rates, ageing populations and economic restructuring as the factors behind shrinking cities, but there is also reference to resource depletion, the demise of single-company towns and the micro-location of environmental hazards. The contributions show that shrinkage can occur at any scale – from neighbourhood to macro-region - and they consider whether shrinkage of metropolitan areas as a whole may be a future trend. Also addressed in this volume is the question of whether urban shrinkage policies are necessary or effective. The book comprises four parts: world or regional issues (with reference to the European Union and Latin America); national case studies (the United States, India, China, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Romania and Estonia); city case studies (Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland, Naples, Belfast and Halle); and broad issues such as the environmental consequences of shrinking cities. This book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners working in the fields of urban studies, economic geography and public policy.

This book will appeal to researchers and scholars interested in entrepreneurship and creativity issues, coming from a wide range of academic disciplines. These readers will find an up-to-date presentation of existing and new directions for research in

Government Publications: Key Papers is a compilation of papers that covers various topics related to government publications. The book presents materials drawn from a variety of sources, such as public domains, book chapters, and periodicals from different countries. The text contains 61 chapters organized into 15 parts; each part covers a specific area, such as sorting and labeling of publications, library systems, reference services, and municipal and state publications. The book dedicates several parts to British, Canadian, and Australian publications. This book will be of great value to individuals who have an interest in government information.

This book examines the everyday living conditions experienced and also shaped by young people in Europe. Contributors reflect on the current context of economic, social and political change affecting youth in the critical transition from dependence to independence. The volume provides the reader with a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary view of youth cultures, drawn from a variety of recent research throughout the continent.