Poems by a late Nicaraguan writer. In A Prayer for the United States, he wrote: "Apocalyptic blasts are ravaging over-sea. / With lure of flag and conquest the harlot War is wooing. / The horse John saw in Patmos its dread course is pursuing. / I pray the Lord He shelter the stars that shelter me."

This book reveals how the 19th Century modernisation of Bogotá led to a transformation in the social role of plants – showing how this city located in the high altitudes of the tropical Andes turned into a ‘floristic island’ formed by native, introduce, wild and cultivated plants. Urbanisation is one of the main forces behind biodiversity loss. Paradoxically, the expansion of cities has made urban environment spaces with a greater numbers of plant species compared to their surrounding areas. Planting a City in the Tropical Andes takes a multidisciplinary approach to shed light on the cultural and ecological mechanisms that have transformed modern cities into what can be described as ‘floristic islands’. By drawing upon a wide array of historical sources, this book explains how the 19th-century modernization of Bogotá (Colombia), led to the replacement of traditional botanical practices with technical knowledge, which in turn endowed the city with a unique floristic inventory. Through a unique botanical perspective on Latin American urban history, this book uncovers how capitalist dynamics in Bogotá transformed plants into providers of clean air and water and their use in the urban landscape contributed to the cultivation of disciplined citizenry. Placing plants at the forefront of its narrative, the book offers an original contribution to the underexplored history of horticulture in tropical Latin America. It serves as a compelling example of how the creative and conflicting forces of the Anthropocene have forged new environments and previously unseen relationships between people and plants. This volume will be of great use to scholars and students interested in social history, urban environmental histories and cultural history.

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

As cities continue to grow in this age of climate emergency, it is essential to question how cities are planned and designed in order to be prepared for the future. With a background in the built environment ranging from macro to micro-scale projects, the framework was born from our research and practice while imagining the future for the Paya Lebar Air Base Conceptual Master Plan project in Singapore from 2021 to 2022. Building upon this work, further research and interviews with local experts from urban planning, architecture, public policy and community stakeholders led us to answer this crucial question: How can the built environment be designed to support a holistic way of life towards the well-being of Planet, People &Prosperity in a Tropical context? In this book, readers will learn how well-being can be realised through 12 inter-reliant Principles, be equipped with the skills to analyse their urban environment through intangible and tangible objectives. Coupled with strategies across the scales from urban planning to the buildings and spaces we inhabit, the book is useful for all interested in improving our built environment for all, from urban planners to architects, policy makers, community stakeholders and the everyday city residents.

Urban Heat Island Modeling for Tropical Climates takes into account the different urban physics in tropical environments, presenting a way of UHI scaling for tropical cities. Topics include measuring, modeling and proper mitigation strategies, which account for the surface energy balance of tropics. Tropical cities are more susceptible to the effects of projected global warming because of conditions in tropical climates and the rapid growth of so many cities in this zone. The need for research on measuring, modeling and mitigation of UHI effects in tropical cities is of growing importance. This book walks through the basics of Urban Heat Islands, including causes, measurement and analysis then expands upon issues as well as the novel techniques that can be used to address issues specific to the region. - Reviews topics related to understanding the fundamentals of modeling and impacts of urban heat islands - Covers many techniques, from remote sensing, to numerical modeling and then applying them to urban climate studies in general, and in tropical cities - Describes the scaling of urban heat islands based on long-term seasonal thermal parameters as feature-based classification systems using a probabilistic and fuzzy logic approach, unlike local climate zones (LCZs)