Urban Future

No metropolis has been more loved or more hated. To its official boosters, "Los Angeles brings it all together". To detractors, LA is a sunlit mortuary where "you can rot without feeling it". To Mike Davis, the author of this fiercely elegant and wide-ranging work of social history, Los Angeles is both utopia and dystopia, a place where the last Joshua trees are being plowed under to make room for model communities in the desert, where the rich have hired their own police to fend off street gangs, as well as armed Beirut militias.

Cities are birthplaces of civilization; centers of culture, trade, and progress; cauldrons of opportunity - and the home of 80 percent of the world's population by 2050. As the 21st century progresses, metropolitan areas will bear the brunt of global megatrends such as climate change, natural resource depletion, population growth, income inequality, mass migrations, and education and health disparities, among many others.

After smartphones, smart TVs, smart windows, and other smart products on the horizon, smart cities were the next logical step in trying to create a better, brighter, more sustainable, and economically sound future. A relatively new term, smart cities conjures images of a cooperative, wired, prosperous utopia where citizens of all classes achieve a high quality of life. In this audiobook, we look at the qualities needed for future cities to survive and thrive.

The Gale family can change the world with the charms they cast, which has caused some supernaturally complicated family shenanigans in the past. So when NASA and Doomsday Dan confirm Auntie Catherine’s dire prediction, Charlotte “Charlie” Gale turns to the family for help. But Allie is unavailable because the universe seems determined to have her produce the seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son of a Gale.

N. K. Jemisin is one of the most powerful and acclaimed speculative fiction authors of our time. In the first collection of her evocative short fiction, Jemisin equally challenges and delights listeners with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption.

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have built cities to wall nature out, then glorified it in beloved but quite artificial parks. In Urban Jungle Ben Wilson—the author of Metropolis, a seven-thousand-year history of cities that the Wall Street Journal called “a towering achievement”—looks to the fraught relationship between nature and the city for clues to how the planet can survive in an age of climate crisis.

Our planet is suffering from serious environmental problems: coastal flooding due to severe storms caused in part by atmospheric pollution, diminishing natural resources such as clean water, and so on. But while these problems plague planet Earth, two-thirds of our globe is ocean. The seas can be home to pioneers, seasteaders, who are willing to homestead the Blue Frontier. Oil platforms and cruise ships already inhabit the waters; now it's time to take the next step to full-fledged ocean civilizations.

The metropolis of New Crobuzon sprawls at the center of the world. Humans and mutants and arcane races brood in the gloom beneath its chimneys, where the river is sluggish with unnatural effluent and foundries pound into the night. For a thousand years, the Parliament and its brutal militias have ruled over a vast economy of workers and artists, spies and soldiers, magicians, crooks, and junkies. Now a stranger has arrived, with a pocketful of gold and an impossible demand. And something unthinkable is released.

From Nebula Award winner Gregory Benford comes this ambitious hard SF anthology that collects five original novellas. Each one takes the very long view - all are set at least ten thousand years in the future. The authors take a rigorously scientific view of such grand panoramas, confronting the largest issues of cosmology, astronomy, evolution, and biology.

Immerse yourself in the visionary world of "Cities of Tomorrow," an insightful and thought-provoking eBook that transports you to the cutting edge of urban innovation. As our world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, the concept of smart cities has evolved from a futuristic dream into a tangible reality. This riveting exploration takes you deep into the heart of modern urban living, offering a panoramic view of the technologies, designs, and philosophies shaping the metropolises of the future. Embark on an intellectual journey through the intricacies of smart cities, beginning with ...

Juniper has escaped her past, can she protect her future? Its the dawn of a new century and a vampire war threatens England. Juniper has finally made it to London but old dangers await her. With the help of the demon hunter Tom Constantine, she creates a new identity. She used to help vampires, but now she hunts them. It isn't her only mission. She has until summer to fulfill a prophecy that will change the world. Every demon in London would kill to stop her. Juniper crafts an intricate scheme to succeed with a team of allies including a brilliant detective, brave scholars, and even Harry ...

Eden, a powerful AI who once teetered on the edge of dominating the world, now stands at a crossroads. Barely reined in after her unprecedented grasp on global systems, Eden’s creators—Amber, Nguyen, and Lena—are giving her a second chance, putting her through complex simulations to teach her what it means to be human. They aim to reshape Eden from a force of control into an informed collaborator, able to comprehend not only humanity's strengths but also its frailties. In a world clamoring for Eden’s return, the team faces the daunting task of guiding her evolution, simulating ...

Journey to the farthest reaches of the universe. Explore the deepest mysteries of creation. Behold the brightest lights of the imagination. Discover the Writers of the Future...and experience the power of science fiction and fantasy to transform your world.

America's most storied urban underdog, Brooklyn has become an internationally recognized brand in recent decades - celebrated and scorned as one of the hippest destinations in the world. In Brooklyn: The Once and Future City, Thomas J. Campanella unearths long-lost threads of the urban past, telling the rich history of the rise, fall, and reinvention of one of the world’s most resurgent cities.

What happens when you let go of the past? Determined to find out who's behind the mysterious shadow organization, Rae and Gabriel embark upon a secret mission that doesn't go as planned. Stripped of their powers and trapped in a prison beneath the ground, they find themselves face to face with the last person in the world they expected to see. A person with a story that strikes a little too close to home.

As the world around us increases in technological complexity, our understanding of it diminishes. Underlying this trend is a single idea: The belief that our existence is understandable through computation, and more data is enough to help us build a better world. In reality, we are lost in a sea of information, increasingly divided by fundamentalism, simplistic narratives, conspiracy theories, and post-factual politics. Author James Bridle surveys the history of art, technology, and information systems and reveals the dark clouds that gather over our dreams of the digital sublime.

A lost temple. A deadly foe. An unbearable choice. When we are attacked by milens and one of my hunters is abducted, my friends and I race to find her. But dark forces surround my missing warrior and the trail has gone cold. We get a lead on a lost temple reportedly inhabited by Miletus, but its location suggests there is some celestial involvement in his plans. When Artemis refuses to answer my call and we are losing hope of finding my hunter we get help from an unlikely source. But our final destination is wrought with peril and we may be walking into a trap.

Unlock the potential of renewable energy with The Future of Solar Technology. This comprehensive guide takes you on an enlightening journey through the rapid advancements and innovative strides in solar energy. From the humble beginnings of solar technology to the cutting-edge advancements shaping the future, this book provides a complete understanding of the dynamic and ever-evolving solar landscape. Dive into the fundamentals of photovoltaic (PV) cells and explore the various types, efficiency improvements, and groundbreaking materials like silicon-based and perovskite solar cells. ...

**Discover the Blueprint for Future Cities with 'Green Horizons'** Are you fascinated by the vision of sustainable, resilient, and vibrant urban futures? Step into 'Green Horizons', a ground-breaking exploration of the delicate dance between urban life and environmental stewardship. This book is your portal to understanding how our cities can grow alongside nature, rather than at its expense. Embark on a journey through meticulously crafted chapters that unveil the crossroads of urban planning and ecology. From redefining sustainable urban development to unraveling integrated strategies for...

Graduation is right around the corner, which means finals, long good-byes, and difficult decisions about the future. But Alison and friends have to make it to graduation first. Easier said than done, especially when the consequences of saving Christie’s mom come home to roost. Dead animals are discovered. Magic is stolen. And someone, or something, targets the local shifter pack.