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Exploring Sustainable Development

Author Alan Grainger , Martin Purvis
Release Date: 2013/06/01
ISBN: 9781853834721
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Book Description

Sustainable development is capturing the attention of planners, politicians and business leaders. Within the academic sphere its study is increasingly breaching disciplinary boundaries to become a focus of attention for natural and social scientists alike. But in studying such a key concept, it is vital that there is a clear definition of what it means, how it is applied on the ground, and the influence it exerts upon people's perceptions of change in the physical environment, economic activity and society. Exploring Sustainable Development is a major new text which provides a multifaceted introduction to key areas of study in this field, examining sustainability at the full range of spatial scales from the local to the global. Building on existing theory it demonstrates the unique contributions that thinking geographically about space, place and human-environment relationships can bring to the analysis of sustainable development. This book explores different interpretations of sustainable development in both theory and practice, in developed and developing countries, and in rural and urban areas. It pays particular attention to the local, national and international politics of implementation, the future of climate and energy, the role of business, and different conceptions of agricultural sustainability. This wide-ranging text is ideal for undergraduates and postgraduates in geography, environmental science, development studies, and related social and political sciences.

Table of Contents

  1. Front Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. List of Figures and Tables
  7. List of Contributors
  8. Preface
  9. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
  10. 1 Introduction Alan Grainger
    1. Introduction
    2. Conflicting Political Ideals
    3. Sustainable Development as an Ambiguous Compromise
    4. From Economic Growth to Sustainable Development
    5. Capital: A Unifying Thread in Development Theories
    6. Economic Theories of Sustainable Development
    7. Reconciling the Political and Theoretical Discourses
    8. Questions about Sustainable Development
    9. Geographical Perspectives on Sustainable Development
    10. Conclusion
  11. 2 Geography and Sustainable Development Martin Purvis
    1. Introduction
    2. A Case for Geography
    3. Engaging with Sustainable Development
    4. Geography and the Pursuit of More Sustainable Development
    5. Looking Deeper
    6. Conclusion
  12. 3 The Role of Spatial Scale and Spatial Interactions in Sustainable Development Alan Grainger
    1. Introduction
    2. Structuring Global Space
    3. Achieving Sustainable Development at Different Levels
    4. Sustainable Development in Open Economies
    5. Interaction between Different Spatial Levels
    6. Conclusion
  13. 4 Linking the Local to the Global: Can Sustainable Development Work in Practice? John Soussan
    1. Introduction
    2. Approaches to Development
    3. Can Local Action Substitute for Ineffective State Institutions?
    4. The Political Limits of Local Action
    5. National Constraints on Participation in Sri Lanka
    6. Institutional Change and Community Forestry in Nepal
    7. Conclusion
  14. 5 Forecasting Urban Futures: A Systems Analytical Perspective on the Development of Sustainable Urban Regions Gordon Mitchell
    1. Introduction
    2. Impacts of Urban Development
    3. The Complexity of Urban Sustainability
    4. A Systems Perspective: Urban Modelling and Sustainability Assessment
    5. Models of Sustainable and Urban Development
    6. The Quantifiable City Programme: Sustainable Urban Development Modelling in Practice
    7. Problems and Prospects for Urban Sustainability Modelling
    8. Conclusion
  15. 6 Making Cities More Sustainable: People, Plans and Participation Rachael Unsworth
    1. Introduction
    2. Continuity and Change in Urban Problems
    3. Outlining Sustainable Urban Development
    4. Planning for Urban Sustainability
    5. People as Planners: Participation in the Search for Sustainable Urban Development
    6. Urban Challenges in the Developing World
    7. Communicating Good Practice
    8. Making the Local Universal: A Concluding Reflection
  16. 7 Business, Capital and Sustainable Economic Development Martin Purvis
    1. Introduction
    2. Business and the Environment
    3. Sustainable Economic Development as Eco-efficiency
    4. Too Good To Be True: Are Win–Win Arguments Sustainable?
    5. A Space for Sustainable Development?
    6. Conclusion
  17. 8 Sustainable Agriculture for the 21st Century Martin Purvis and Richard Smith
    1. Introduction
    2. Modern Agriculture: Reviewing the Account
    3. Sustainable Farming: Different Places, Different Solutions
    4. Greater Resource Efficiency
    5. Redistributing Resources
    6. Conclusion: Sustainable Futures
  18. 9 Sustaining the Flow: Japanese Waterways and New Paradigms of Development Paul Waley and Martin Purvis
    1. Introduction
    2. 21st-Century Japan: Poised for Sustainable Development?
    3. Past Imperfect
    4. River Management: The Context
    5. Technocentric River Planning and the Ministry of Construction
    6. Reassessing the Role of Rivers
    7. From Words to Deeds
    8. Problems Behind the Projects: Environmental Quality and Participation
    9. Conclusion: Points of Ideological Cleavage
  19. 10 Sustainable Futures for the Arctic North Ken Atkinson
    1. Introduction
    2. Varieties of Development
    3. Unsustainable Development: Past Practice and Conflict over Renewable and Non-renewable Resources
    4. Sustainable Development in Principle
    5. Moves Towards More Sustainable Development: The North American Experience
    6. Lessons for the Russian Arctic
    7. International Initiatives to Promote More Sustainable Development
    8. Conclusion
  20. 11 Climate Change, Energy and Sustainable Development Martin Purvis
    1. Introduction
    2. Climate Change: A Threat to Sustainable Development?
    3. Adaptation to Current and Future Climate Regimes
    4. Mitigating Climate Change
    5. The Wider Context of Sustainable Development
    6. Scales of Change: Theory and Practice
    7. Conclusion
  21. 12 Sustainable Development and International Relations Alan Grainger
    1. Introduction
    2. The World as Viewed by International Relations Theories
    3. Climate Change: The Predominance of an Isolated Globalist Discourse
    4. Discourses in Conflict at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
    5. Modifying Existing International Institutions
    6. Conclusion
  22. 13 Future Perspectives: Developing Sustainable Development Martin Purvis and Alan Grainger
    1. Introduction
    2. Reflecting upon Existing Strategies
    3. A Necessary Critique
    4. Consensus and Contest
    5. The Challenge of Sustainable Development
    6. Sustainable Development and Societal Change
    7. A More Pragmatic Response
    8. The Limitations of Current Theories
  23. References
  24. Index
3.145.115.195