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Extraordinary Pools
by Naina GuptaA visual feast of fifty wonderfully distinctive and architecturally astounding swimming pools from around the worldExtraordinary Pools is a mosaic of exceptional public and private examples of pools, reasserting the protean quality of the swimming pool as a space of activity, pleasure, and excess. Illustrated with awe-inspiring color photography, it showcases stunning examples of architecturally significant swimming pools around the world, including:Berthold Lubetkin’s modernist Penguin Pool at the London ZooThe world’s largest infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands in SingaporeThe landmark Julia Morgan-designed City Club pool in Berkeley, CaliforniaLuis Barragan's signature L-shaped pools at Cuadra San Cristobal in MexicoAnd many moreWoven throughout are essays by swimmers and architectural experts on the role swimming pools have played in shaping modern culture, from the 1932 Olympics and Mussolini’s campaign to redefine the new Italian Fascist as physically fit, disciplined, and virile to the dawn of circular backyard pools in California that became playgrounds for skateboarders during the great drought of the 1970s. With its lush imagery and lively discussion, Extraordinary Pools will dazzle recreationists and architecture enthusiasts alike.STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY: Illustrated with full-color images throughout, Extraordinary Pools is an aspirational, covetable volume befitting any design lover's coffee table display.ENDLESSLY FASCINATING: Swimming pools are status symbols and objects of interest regardless of climate or season. Whether they are used for athletic pursuits or the simple joy of relaxing in water, found indoors or out, are kidney-shaped or Olympic-sized, pools are an enthralling source of visual and aesthetic pleasure.EXPERIENCED AUTHOR: Naina Gupta, a practicing architect who teaches at the Architectural Association of the School of Architecture in London, turns her trained eye on a dazzling array of pools to explore their visual impact and cultural significance.Perfect for:Swimmers, beach lovers, and pool enthusiastsCollectors of architecture, design, and home décor booksHost/hostess or housewarming giftArchitectural history buffsPhotography fans and armchair travelers
RHS Gardening School: Everything You Need to Know to Get the Most from Your Garden
by Simon Akeroyd Dr Ross BaytonKeen amateur gardeners and aspiring professionals can learn from the expertise of the RHS with this handy guide.It doesn't matter if you're an old hand at gardening or just starting out, there are always things to discover and opportunities to improve, whether it's mastering a new technique or brushing up on your botany.RHS Gardening School is the perfect guide for gardeners who want to learn. Inside you'll find chapters on:Understanding plants Everyday garden care Problem solvingPlanting designGardening through the yearand much more. Hands-on guidance and step-by-step instructions explain topics such as pruning, pest and diseases, weed removal and caring for lawns. Expert gardeners explain the underlying principles in plain English, while clear diagrams and beautiful photographs inspire and inform.Become a better, smarter, more productive gardener with this complete guide to horticulture in one handy book.
RHS Little Book of Small-Space Gardening: Easy-grow Ideas for Balconies, Window Boxes & Other Outdoor Areas
by Kay MaguireMake the most of your balconies and windowsills with this handy gardening guide from the author of the award-winning RHS Grow Your Own Crops in Pots.RHS Little Book of Small-space Gardening is packed with practical information and inspirational ideas for anyone who wants to grow plants in a variety of outside spaces, from balconies to stairways, windowsills to doorsteps. Look inside to discover a host of creative step-by-step projects, such as speedy salads, wildlife pots, fragrant baskets and green garden walls. Handy plant profiles tell you what's best to grow in a variety of conditions, such as wind, shade and drought.Whether you choose to start with a simple pot or tackle a more ambitious project, with this beautifully illustrated book you'll soon see how even the smallest spaces can be amazing growing spaces.
RHS Little Book of Happy Houseplants
by Holly FarrellGrowing indoors has never been easier or more fun. Become a star gardener without leaving your home with this beginner's guide to houseplants for the whole family.Whatever the size of your home, and even if you don't have much spare time on your hands, house plants are an exciting way to bring some low-maintenance greenery into your life. As well as looking luscious, house plants improve air quality and our sense of well-being - and caring for them is an endlessly enchanting hobby for both adults and children. See how a knobbly ginger root sprouts huge exotic leaves, or how plants can grow without any soil at all. Children can get up close and personal with the natural world and try their hand at growing with ease. Best of all, the plants provide year-round interest and there's never any need to go out into the rain. In RHS Little Book of Happy House Plants, every technique and project is explained and illustrated in clear, down-to-earth steps. Even beginners will want to have a go!
The Going Green Handbook: 52 Inspired Ideas for Saving Money and the Environment
by Alice Mary AlvrezEasy, healthy, money-saving DIY ideas for a sustainable lifestyle Inspired living for the environment: Make your footprint planet-positive. With the gentle guidance of eco-expert, Alice Mary Alvrez, you can start with baby steps and progress to living the green good life! Level up your eco-knowledge with these 52 creative ideas and easy ways to reduce your waste, eat organic, and keep toxins out of your home. Grow organic, reduce waste, live toxin-free, and save money: Inside this helpful and hopeful guide, you'll find tips for greening up all the areas of your life. Learn surprising facts about your impact on the environment and change your habits with do-it-yourself ideas. Start with small, simple changes and work your way up to raising chickens, planting a bee-friendly garden, and growing organic veggies instead of a high maintenance grass lawn. Also find easy composting tips and recipes for toxin-free homemade eco cleansers and paint. A DIY handbook for all levels: Whether you want to be a green rookie or an eco-master, you can help the planet every week of the year. The Going Green Handbook is an inspiring and instructive guide to living the handmade life by consuming less and creating more. Use little, live big! Readers will learn: why we live the way we do and how we can become less wasteful and greener tips, tricks and secrets for a self-sufficient sustainable home and lifestyle starter garden tips for growing your own healthy food, fruit, veggies, and fresh herbs how to save money by going green Save money, be inspired, and go green with this helpful and easy handbook!
(Co)Designing Hope: Aqueous Landscapes in Transition
by Laura CiprianiExtreme weather events, droughts, floods, shifts in precipitation and temperature patterns, melting glaciers, sea-level rise, water salinization, and more generally, changes in the water cycle remind us that the climate crisis is mostly a water crisis. Perhaps even more serious is a crisis of imagination connected with thought and with creative, far-sighted action able to combine the visionary and the pragmatic. A response to these two crises can be provided by the disciplines of landscape architecture: these have always featured a plural, collective approach that comprises or originates from living systems and natural forces, on the involvement of human and nonhuman communities in the design process, and the inclusion of the time variable in future plans—without neglecting the necessary flexibility of creative and pragmatic thinking. How can landscape design and different forms of collaboration open new doors to face climate and water challenges? What hopes can spring from collective design in its broader meaning?This book sets out notions and ideas on water landscapes and (co)designed practices, identifying what hopeful routes might be taken for the three states of aqueous landscapes in transition—liquid, solid, and gas. The chapters show different scales and levels of design and collaborative practices: from large and governmental projects to small bottom-up interventions; from creative collaboration among designers to traditional community design; from participatory processes to nature as a co-designer for tackling the climate crisis. People, animals, plants, water, ice, fog, clouds, wind, sand, and rocks—all contribute to the cosmos’ landscape symphony, and designing together can become a seed of hope to listen and embrace the Earth’s climate changes.
AI and Language in the Urban Context: Conversational Artificial Intelligence in Cities
by Richard CoyneIn a world influenced increasingly by artificial intelligence (AI), the city emerges as a dynamic hub of digital conversations. AI and Language in the Urban Context offers a novel exploration of how AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), is transforming urban environments. Moving beyond the typical technological narratives, this book draws on the author’s unique expertise in design, semiotics and hermeneutics to present a critical cultural perspective on AI’s role in the city.Focusing on the intersection of urban theory and AI, the book reveals how conversational AI is reshaping social interactions, decision-making processes, and media in urban spaces. By merging practical knowledge of AI algorithms with an understanding of urban practices, the author highlights the opportunities and challenges AI presents for modern cities.This book is essential for anyone interested in the future of urban living. It provides a deep dive into the technical, social and cultural implications of AI in cities, offering practical examples and philosophical insights. Readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of how AI is influencing the design, governance and dynamics of urban life in the digital age.The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
Action, Property and Beauty: Planning with and for Emergent Urban Complexity
by Stefano Moroni Stefano CozzolinoWhat are the challenges and potential of complex and emergent urban systems? This book answers this question by shedding new light on the topics of emergence, complexity, and self-organisation and showing their interconnectedness with other concepts, such as property and beauty, which are usually considered separately. It contributes to the discussion by interpreting and explaining the nature of emergent urban phenomena and suggesting more appropriate design and planning measures.The book explores and untangles these crucial topics in a compact and accessible way by offering fresh interdisciplinary perspectives on the themes of action and interaction, self-organisation, property, neighbourhood adaptability, urban beauty, and suitable public planning and design interventions. It provides novel and crucial insights for students, researchers, and academics in Urban Studies, Planning Theory, Planning Ethics, Planning Law, Legal, Political and Human Geography, Urban and Regional Economics, Urban Sociology, and Urban Design. It is essential for anyone interested in exploring the emergent dynamics of complex urban contexts, as well as for those involved in developing various projects and measures who aim to consider the spontaneous nature of cities seriously.
Adventures in Backyard Gardening: Inspiring Young Gardeners to Grow Their Own Food (The Adventures Series)
by Ron SmithAuthor is a Environmental Science Educator, Citizen/Community Science Project Leader, and Curriculum Writer The health of the planet and of humanity is connected to food. Where our food comes from matters. How our food is grown matters. The diversity of our food matters. With so many educational initiatives, if kids learn early, it becomes an enduring part of their lives.
Almost Nothing: Reclaiming Edith Farnsworth
by Nora WendlThe iconic Edith Farnsworth House is a singular glass home designed by Mies van der Rohe. But the oft-told history of the house overwrites Farnsworth’s role as Mies’s collaborator and antagonist while falsely portraying her as the architect’s angry ex-lover. Nora Wendl’s audacious work of creative nonfiction explodes the sex-and-real-estate myth surrounding the Edith Farnsworth House and its two central figures. An eminent physician and woman of letters, Farnsworth left a rich trove of correspondence, memoirs, and photographs that Wendl uses to reconstruct her voice. Farnsworth’s memories and experiences alternate with Wendl’s thoughts on topics like misogyny and professional ambition to fashion a lyrical examination of love, loneliness, beauty, and the search for the divine. Eloquent and confessional, Almost Nothing restores Edith Farnsworth to her place in architectural history and the masterpiece that bears her name.
An Indoor Air Quality Management Framework for Municipal Buildings in Developing Economies (Routledge Research Collections for Construction in Developing Countries)
by Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa Wellington Didibhuku Thwala Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu Mpho NdouThis book delves into the pivotal issue of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) management in municipal buildings within developing economies, addressing a pressing need in today’s digital age, where individuals spend over 70% of their time indoors. With a strong focus on enhancing environmental quality, this book presents theoretical frameworks and practical recommendations designed explicitly for stakeholders in the higher education sector, encompassing both public and private institutions.As institutions strive to improve their learning environments, this book aligns with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the vital connection between effective IAQ management and the health and well-being of the institutional community, including students and staff members. It provides a comprehensive framework that advocates for improved IAQ management and emphasises the importance of quality education and lifelong learning.Furthermore, this book serves as a valuable resource for green building regulatory bodies, ensuring adherence to best practices in IAQ management within municipal buildings. By providing actionable strategies grounded on recent literature, the book is an essential guide for researchers and policymakers seeking to navigate the theoretical and empirical dimensions of IAQ management. Moreover, this book asserts that enhancing IAQ is necessary not only for regulatory compliance and community well-being but also as a vital investment in the academic and operational success of municipal buildings in developing economies.
Analysis of the Traditional Chinese Garden
by Yigang PengAnalysis of the Traditional Chinese Garden is a seminal resource for the spatial principles and techniques that shape traditional Chinese gardens. It is a richly illustrated resource for historians, theorists, garden designers, landscape architects, architects and anyone interested in the design of these world renowned gardens with 106 pages of hand-drawn sketches by the author that vividly portray the intricacies and subtleties of traditional Chinese gardens. The book is widely known in China as a primary text for analysis of the gardens and was recognized with the inaugural National Excellent Architectural Book Award in 1990 and, since its debut in China in 1986, has garnered immense popularity and acclaim with 50 reprints and a total print run of 150,000 copies.
Applied Urban Design: A Contextually Responsive Approach
by Michael Martin Robert Phillips Philip Black Taki SonbliApplied Urban Design combines 'why' we design and 'who' we design for, with 'how' we design, by providing the reader with a comprehensive and accessible bespoke framework for both understanding and practicing urban design in a contextually responsive manner from appraisal to design delivery. The framework is presented across four distinct steps, covering analysis at strategic and local scales; the urban design program; design development; and technical design. The authors unpack the functional blueprints, liveable qualities, contextual dynamics, and technical components of quality urban design, identifying the role of urban designers in shaping spaces and places across differing local contexts through a responsive and multiscalar approach. International best practice examples and two original ‘live’ case studies in Aalborg, Denmark and Manchester, UK demonstrate the application of the framework across differing scales and contexts – each supported by authors own images and graphics that illustrate the broad range of urban design visualisation techniques and methods.Visually compelling and insightful, Applied Urban Design is for all who seek to understand, demand, and create people-centred, high-quality, contextually responsive places and spaces.
Approaching Regeneration of the Built Environment: Between Research, Innovation and Challenges (Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation)
by Saimir Shtylla Hamid RabieiThis book approaches three important aspects related with urban regeneration such as research, innovation and challenges. In light of its growing interdisciplinarity, the selected contributions extend the debate to the importance of the cooperation between various disciplines, attention to the latest design and technological trends, as well major inclusivity of citizens for a correct decision-making process leading afterwards into successful development, test and implementation of innovative solutions. An important focus will be set on the important role innovations play in the preservation and management of heritage sites in response to the climate and urban challenges encountered. Also, this contribution aims to transmit the importance of local interventions in the achievement of urban regeneration as an impulse for the achievement of the common global climate goals in the years ahead.
Architecture and Social Sustainability: Understanding the New Paradigm
by Alexandra StaubArchitecture and Social Sustainability shows how we can better design for stakeholder agency, serve historically marginalized populations, and further our theoretical thinking about sustainability writ large.With chapters exploring both the urban and the building scale, this volume examines the design of buildings and urban settings to illustrate how we can create more inclusive and equitable communities through broadening our design approach. Tracing how the professionalization of architecture and urban design has shut out stakeholder input, this book offers a range of methods and theoretical ideas to re-tool the design process for better social sustainability. The book illustrates these concepts through a series of case studies that have worked around systemic inequalities, recaptured stakeholder voices, and helped promote spatial and social justice. Case studies look at reparative urban and landscape design the United States, informal market structures in Nigeria, co-designed housing for low-income communities in India and Brazil, and participatory design for housing, schools, and healthcare facilities in Europe and the U.K. Essential reading for architects and urban designers seeking alternatives to conventional practice, as well as educators and students incorporating social sustainability as a foundational design concept, Architecture and Social Sustainability ties together design thinking and action to show architecture’s potential for social change.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
Athens: A Rapidly Changing Metropolis in the European South (Built Environment City Studies)
by Thomas MaloutasThis book looks at the current trends in Athens, the capital city of Greece, and focuses on the processes of globalization it has been undergoing during the last two decades. In this time the city has transformed from a low-key, petty bourgeois cohesive and rather isolated city in south-eastern Europe to an internationally visible metropolis, increasingly unequal and polarized.The book mainly deals with changes in the social structure and the ways that different groups are linked to the city’s built environment. The main issues discussed in the book include the economic identity and the position of Athens in the regional and global urban networks; the reproduction of class and ethnic boundaries and the uneven distribution of different social groups in urban space; the exploration of political processes related to the class vote, including the gender and demographic profile of the city’s electorate; the making of the built environment, the main trends in real estate and the ways they affect the housing market. Athens is not abundantly discussed in the urban studies literature, even though social and spatial changes have been remarkable. As such, this book provides a concise overview of the main socioeconomic and spatial changes in Athens during the last two decades and their significance beyond the case of Athens.This book will be of interest to researchers and students of the built environment, urban studies and urban sociology.
Barcelona: Urban Commons and Local State Assemblages (Built Environment City Studies)
by Iolanda BianchiThis book explores the complex relationship between urban commons – understood as a repertoire of collective action that fosters a politics of antagonism – and the local state. It critiques the dominant neo-institutionalist and neo-Marxist perspectives for their deterministic and siloed views, as well as the insufficient attention they pay to the municipal scale. The book proposes a more nuanced, urban-based, outcome-oriented approach rooted in assemblage theory.The analysis addresses a central question: can urban commons-local state assemblages benefit the politics of urban commons? The book argues that they can, provided they form rhizomatic assemblages. These allow urban commons to retain their self-governing autonomy, even as they lose some of their material autonomy. Conversely, it shows that assemblages can also take arborescent forms, allowing the local state to undermine the self-governing autonomy of the urban commons.Focusing on Barcelona, the book examines how rhizomatic and arborescent assemblages are constructed, as well as the strategies that urban commons can undertake to build rhizomatic assemblages. This book is essential for scholars, policymakers, and activists interested in urban governance, commons theory and transformative politics. It provides both theoretical insights and practical tools for harnessing the dynamics of the urban commons and the local state to drive meaningful socio-political change.
Biodynamic Gardening: Organic Growing Guided by the Moon for Bountiful Harvests
by DKWhether you're just getting started in biodynamic gardening, or you're an experienced biodynamic farmer wanting to learn more, Biodynamic Gardening is the right resource for learning more about the biodynamic method of organic gardening. This clear, practical guide gives you tried-and-true advice on biodynamic gardening and tips on this ultra-green, organic gardening method. Full-color photographs and easy-to-understand charts and graphs are helpful tools in organizing information in a way anyone can understand and use in biodynamic gardening. Biodynamic gardening makes use of natural cycles and mindful planting to take organic gardening to the next level, and Biodynamic Gardening covers everything. Topics include soil preparations, lunar charts, composting, cycles of rest, rich and healthy soil, organically controlling pests, ripening plants, and more. Grow delicious vegetables and healthy food, or grow beautiful blooms and flowers with the information you'll find in Biodynamic Gardening.
Black Girls Gardening: Empowering Stories and Garden Wisdom for Healing and Flourishing in Nature
by Amber GrossmanA visual celebration of Black women and their gardens, filled with inspiration, stories, and the healing magic of gardening, based on the popular Instagram account BlackGirlsGardening.“Arranged into themed sections on gardening with kids, growing for the kitchen, and community farming, this book provides both the inspiration and instruction to join the ranks of the badass, trowel-wielding women featured in its pages.“ —Oprah Daily “This is a gardening book for all walks of life and any experience level. Each woman in Black Girls Gardening shares a unique gardening journey, but they all demonstrate how a gardening practice has the power to heal, empower, educate, and connect.” —Essence Through first-person narratives and arresting photography, this unique gardening book profiles women who demonstrate how a gardening practice has the power to heal, empower, educate, and connect. Thirty-one compelling personal stories about creating backyard, flower, and vegetable gardens, participating in community gardens, and gardening with kids are included. Sidebars offer advice on composting, pest control, must-have tools, greenhouse gardens, and more. In a beautiful, chunky package that can be read cover to cover or displayed on a coffee table, Black Girls Gardening makes a lovely gift for aspiring and practicing Black women gardeners, first-time homeowners, parents who garden with their kids, and women of all ages who enjoy sinking their hands into the soil.GARDENING AS EMPOWERMENT: With stories on starting a garden from seed, building your own vegetable and flower beds, growing your own food, connecting with a community, and showing your kids the power and joy that come from these experiences, this uplifting book demonstrates how gardening empowers women and green thumbs of all ages and levels. HEALTH BENEFITS: Gardening is good for you, and it’s a lifelong hobby! Spending time outside is an excellent way to relieve stress and anxiety, and gardening is an accessible and increasingly common pastime that provides respite from our indoor, online, sedentary lives. This book celebrates gardens as a sanctuary, a source of solace and joy, and a place for self-discovery and connection. CELEBRATES DIVERSITY: This uniquely inspiring nature and gardening book highlights stories from Black, biracial, and multiracial women, an underrepresented audience in mainstream gardening, nature, and outdoor media.Perfect for: Self-care gift or self-purchase for Black women, ages 18 - 50+ Gift-giving for Mother’s Day, birthday, housewarming, or retirement Women gardeners and aspiring green thumbs Garden admirers and nature enthusiasts First-time homeowners who want to plant a garden Followers of @BlackGirlsGardening Fans of Nature Swagger, Wild at Home, My Beautiful Black Hair, She Explores
Cacti and Succulents: On-point Advice to Keep Your Plants Looking Sharp
by Sarah Gerrard-JonesStep into the fascinating world of succulents and cacti.Sarah Gerrard-Jones (@theplantrescuer) makes understanding, growing, and enjoying cacti and succulents simple. From learning about mature plants in their native habitats to showing you how to revive flagging cacti or propagating plants on your windowsill, this beautifully photographed guide has something to share with beginners and experienced enthusiasts alike.Learn how to create the best conditions for your plants to thrive indoors or out, discover new varieties to grow, and try planting projects to take your collection to the next level. Sarah’s engaging and passionate writing shares all her personal experience to ensure anyone can love looking after their cacti and succulents.
Cannabis Farming: How to Grow, Harvest, and Process Organic, Field-Grown Cannabis
by Adam Davidoff Ryan PowerStart your own organic cannabis farm with this complete how-to manual written by two farmers with a decade of experience growing cannabis in the field. Cannabis is rapidly being decriminalized across the country, causing a surge in consumer demand and enabling growers to cultivate cannabis in the open, rather than secretly in greenhouses. Whether you&’re a small-scale vegetable farmer who wants to add a high-value crop or a home cannabis grower who wants to expand their operation, authors Adam Davidoff and Ryan Power can help you get growing. They were some of the first vegetable farmers in California to start growing cannabis as a field crop, and have even developed their own cannabis strains that are adapted to field growing rather than indoor cultivation. Now is the perfect time to start growing cannabis for profit!
Carpet Diem: Tales from the World of Oriental Rugs
by George BradleyA colorful tour through the enthralling world of oriental carpets and its unusual characters that is also an honest and often humorous meditation about beautiful objects and our impulse to collect them.One day, the prizewinning poet George Bradley happened to take note of a carpet that had lain beneath his feet for decades. Carefully studying its weave and pattern, he was astonished by its complexity and allure. He became suddenly fascinated, and his newfound curiosity about oriental rugs sent him on a thrilling adventure, introducing him to a little-known realm in which beauty, artistry, business, and history collide.Carpet Diem chronicles Bradley’s exploration of the world of oriental carpets, one in which he falls in love with a variety of captivating rugs and learns about the cultural background of the people who made them. A journey from innocence to experience, this entertaining account includes his encounters with the dealers, collectors, scroungers, restorers, and connoisseurs who inhabit an exotic and sometimes shady milieu. As he brings together his own story with those of these characters, he also tells some of the history of what is one of the world’s great art forms. Like Scheherazade, Bradley spins tale after tale about the sorts of gorgeous textiles found on the floors of mansions across Europe and America, in the portraits of Titian and Vermeer, in the faraway caves of Central Asia, and in bespoke shops of Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Westport, Connecticut.A narrative that combines the mesmerizing storytelling found in The Arabian Nights with the pilgrimage into history that unfolds in The Silk Road and the dramatic compulsion to possess rare elegance that propels The Orchid Thief, Carpet Diem is an unusual and charming memoir that testifies to the intricate beauty woven into our world.Carpet Diem features eleven full-color photographs throughout.
Challenges from Urban Cultures: On the Relationship Between Spirituality and the Contemporary City (The City Project #7)
by Dario CostiThis book offers a multidisciplinary perspective on the relationship between spirituality and the contemporary city, starting from a thought of Pope Francis claiming the need for a renewed look at the periphery among the current challenges for urban cultures. It gathers contributions describing different strategies for urban renewal and to develop the city of the future. They take into account aspects from architectural design, political science, economy, theology, ethics, anthropology, and philosophy. Based on the italian workshop "Sfida delle Culture Urbane - Svelare la Spiritualita` dei Luoghi" (transl. "Challenges from Urban Cultures - Discover the Spirituality of the Places"), held on November 5-6, 2021, in Parma, this book provides readers with a fresh perspective on the meaning of city, city as a community and as a place, and on strategies to develop suburbs besides city centres, and to foster integration, and participation.
Cities and Digital Platforms
by Elham BahmanteymouriCities and Digital Platforms unravels the transformative impact of digital platforms such as Airbnb and Zoom on urban landscapes, illustrating their profound influence on housing, city planning, and the broader economic fabric.Through rigorous case studies from cities such as Amsterdam, Auckland, Sydney, and Singapore, this book delves into the operational dynamics of these platforms as part of the broader “Cybernetic Capital Cycle”, a concept developed by the author to describe the nuanced interplay between digital innovations and capitalist cycles. This thorough analysis examines the dual roles of digital platforms as both disruptors and catalysts for urban transformation. It confronts the challenges of spatial inequality and probes the potential of digital solutions in fostering equitable urban development.This book is an essential read for policymakers, urban planners, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of technology, economy, and urban life, providing critical insights into the evolving dynamics of our cities in the digital age.
Cocoon: Creating Homes with Heart
by Ali HeathPRAISE FOR COCOON'Cocoon is an inspiring exploration of home as a sanctuary, celebrating the beauty of spaces that nurture and provide comfort. Ali has an intuitive understanding of the meaning of home, encouraging others to live with the things they love and to celebrate their individuality.' Chrissie Rucker - Founder @thewhitecompany'Another stunning design book! Ali Heath's books never fail to inspire me.'Leanne Ford @leannefordinteriors'Ali Heath understands that true sanctuary isn't about having the right things, but about surrounding ourselves with what genuinely nourishes us. Cocoon beautifully captures this essence of intentional living through spaces that prioritize comfort, connection, and personal meaning over perfection.'Shira Gill, author of Minimalista'Ali Heath is not only a gifted writer, interior stylist, and mentor but also a warm-hearted woman and a cherished friend. Her sensitivity to moods, emotions, and creativity is something truly special. In her latest book, COCOON, she takes us into lived-in homes and spaces that feel deeply personal. Her style is romantic, tactile, and carefully curated, with each piece exuding a vintage charm. The blend of decor, antiques, books, art, and furniture creates a seamless narrative of a life well lived. There's not a single page where you wouldn't want to linger.' Malene Birger @malenebirgers_world 'Cosseting, cosy, sink-into spaces are on the rise and there is no better book to dive into and learn how to pull them off than Ali Heath's Cocoon: Creating Homes with Heart. It's an essential read that not only will put a smile on your face as you settle down and dig in it will awaken your senses exciting you to create visual, tactile, cosy havens that you never want to leave.' Abigail Ahern @abigailahern'Ali's desire to help us all create a sanctuary at home focuses on the importance of human connections and an awareness of our senses. Making spaces that we can connect with intuitively goes way beyond just aesthetics as these case studies illustrate so perfectly.' Kate Watson Smyth, KateWatsonSmyth.Substack.com***In her third book, Cocoon: Creating Homes with Heart, Ali Heath, invites the reader to create a home sanctuary that focuses on the human touch, as an antidote to our fast-paced, tech-driven modern world. This way of decorating is so much more than just a look or style - it's about taking a holistic approach that draws upon all our senses, not just the visual, and connects us more meaningfully to ourselves and our surroundings. In the past creating a sanctuary was about the decoration of a few key rooms, now it is about how the whole home makes us feel.Cocooning is not about isolation or shutting down and does not have to mean going off-grid - it is simply about tuning back into our emotions and creativity to satisfy our need for comfort and wonder. Divided into three informative chapters: Cocooning, Feeling and Living, the book explores the homes of 13 creatives from around the world, including architects, antique dealers, furniture makers and artists in the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Australia. With everything from small inner-city sanctuaries to spacious island retreats, Cocoon celebrates a design approach that speaks to the heart.