Cities are perhaps one of humanitys most complex creations; never finished; never definitive. They are like a journey that never ends. Their evolution is determined by their ascent into greatness or their descent into decline. They are the past; the present and the future. Cities contain both order and chaos. In them reside beauty and ugliness; virtue and vice. They can bring out the best or the worst in humankind. They are the physical manifestation of history and culture and incubators of innovation; industry; technology; entrepreneurship and creativity. Cities are the materialization of humanitys noblest ideas; ambitions and aspirations but when not planned or governed properly; can be the repository of societys ills. Cities drive national economies by creating wealth; enhancing social development and providing employment but they can also be the breeding grounds for poverty; exclusion and environmental degradation. The 21st Century is the Century of the City. Half of humanity now lives in cities; and within the next two decades; 60 per cent of the worlds people will reside in urban areas. How can city planners and policymakers harmonize the various interests; diversity and inherent contradictions within cities? What ingredients are needed to create harmony between the physical; social; environmental and cultural aspects of a city and the human beings that inhabit it? This report adopts the concept of Harmonious Cities as a theoretical framework in order to understand todays urban world; and also as an operational tool to confront the most important challenges facing urban areas and their development processes. It recognizes that tolerance; diversity; social justice and good governance; all of which are inter-related; are as important to sustainable urban development as physical planning. It addresses national concerns by searching for solutions at the city level. For that purpose; it focuses on three key areas: spatial or regional harmony; which examines the main drivers of urban growth in the developing world and explores the spatial nuances of economic and social policies; social harmony; which presents and analyzes new data on urban inequalities worldwide and describes the types of shelter deprivations experienced by slum dwellers in developing world regions; and environmental harmony; which examines the role of cities in the climate change debate; and the impact of global warming on the most vulnerable cities. The report also assesses the various intangible assets within cities that contribute to harmony; such as cultural heritage; sense of place and memory and the complex set of social and symbolic relationships that give cities meaning. It argues that these intangible assets represent the soul of the city and are as important for harmonious urban development as tangible assets. Harmony within cities; argues the report; is both a journey and a destination. Published with UN-HABITAT
#683582 in eBooks 2012-03-27 2012-03-27File Name: B0081RL2AG
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I bought this in the Kindle version and it is just what I neededBy Dano1988I bought PSCS-6 and found that it has many features I was not familiar with so I thought I would try this "For Dummies" book. I am so tired of having so many books taking up so much space in my home office so I bought the Kindle Fire version of this book. Photoshop is a very powerful and complex application that the average person can get lost and frustrated with very quickly. This book does not offer a really deep drill down of all the features of the application but it does do exactly what I needed and what was promised by the author. It gives enough of an explanation about the features that I was able to get to the feature and use it. test it. and work with it enough that I now feel comfortable using it. If you are a CS-5 user this is the ideal book for you and if you are new Photoshop user this is a good book for you. If you are someone that wants all the nitty gritty details of how to use all the features of the application then this book is not for you.I learned a lot of things I was unaware of while looking for the things I was really interested in knowing. which was really a plus. I recommend this book for he reasons stated above.Incidentally. Photoshop CS6 is very expensive and in my estimation well worth it. If you are a student. teacher or a person upgrading from CS5 then look for the discounted price. Also I use Adobe Light Room far more than I use Photoshop so if you are on a budget consider Light Room as a fist choice. I would buy a book to learn about those features as well. Light Room is a very powerful application that you will love whether you are a professional or a point and shooter.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good Coverage of PhotoShop Text. Vector Graphics and ArtworkBy Stephan OnisickPeter Bauer has done good job covering the sections of text and vector graphics in Photoshop.Since Im not currently interested in Photography. I didnt read the first part of the book.The following chapters were excellent:Chapter 11 "Precision Edges with Vector Paths."Chapter 12 "Dressing Up Layer Styles."Chapter 13 "Giving Your Images a Text Message."Chapter 14 "Painting in PhotoShop."I also bought a new book but not straight from to get a better price. I have been impressed with how well the Dummies books cover the topics and are slightly less costly to the consumer.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great for beginners.By Bri DavisI purchased this book on after finding it for 30$ at Barnes and Noble.As of right now Photoshop CS6 is the newest model of Photoshop. What is Photoshop? Photoshop is a computer software that lets you edit photos that you have taken. You can also create new things like logos etc.. This book by the way does not contain the software.... It is just a guide.This book shows you how to start to use Photoshop. It also explains to you what you are actually doing to a photo when for instance you are changing the Saturation. If you are just starting out on Photoshop or need to learn how to really guide yourself on it this book would be great.However. if you can already change things like the contrast or re size and image then I would suggest a more advanced book.
