Zaheer Allam

This academic book critically examines the concept of sustainable futures and its interdependence with the policy framework of Green New Deals. We emphasize the inherent link between the two concepts by highlighting how Green New Deals can pave the way for a sustainable and just future in key areas such as environmental policy, economic development, and social equity. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the book draws on insights from fields such as environmental studies, sustainable development, political ecology, and climate policy to explore the intricacies of these interconnections. The revised description underscores the importance of understanding the Green New Deal's historical and political contexts, as well as its implications for sustainable futures. The book delves into the theoretical perspectives that shape our comprehension of sustainable futures, the diverse strategies employed by countries and regions in implementing Green New Deals, the role of technological innovation and social movements in fostering sustainable transitions, and the political dynamics surrounding the Green New Deal. Through an analysis of the Green New Deal's role in sustainable development, climate policy, and environmental justice, the book provides a necessary and timely contribution to ongoing debates. The chapters offer detailed explorations of the interrelationships between these key areas, emphasizing how the Green New Deal can serve as a transformative policy framework for achieving sustainable and equitable futures. "Sustainable Futures and Green New Deals" is intended for scholars, policymakers, activists, and students interested in understanding the complex and interconnected issues surrounding sustainable development, climate policy, and environmental justice.

As a follow-up to the book titled “Harnessing Urban Innovation to Unlock the Sustainable Development Goals”, this collection examines transformative urban solutions through 15 internationally recognized case studies submitted to the 6th Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation in 2023. It provides valuable insights into the driving forces behind sustainable urban development, aligning closely with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main focus of the book is on people-centered approaches to urban innovation, demonstrating how grassroots initiatives can tackle complex urban challenges and contribute to global sustainability targets. Each case study presents innovative strategies implemented by communities worldwide, showcasing how local actions can greatly impact sustainability and resilience. The varied examples highlight a spectrum of urban issues, including affordable housing, sustainable transportation, climate adaptation, and social inclusion, reflecting the diverse nature of urban innovation. Key Features and Benefits: Varied Global Case Studies: The book includes fifteen case studies from different regions, each presenting unique solutions to urban challenges. These examples illustrate how various cultures and contexts address common problems, providing a rich array of ideas and practices. This makes it an essential resource for urban planners, policymakers, and community leaders seeking inspiration and guidance.Emphasis on People-Centered Approaches: The book emphasizes the importance of people-centered innovation, which prioritizes community involvement and local knowledge. By focusing on how local populations engage with and drive urban initiatives, the book highlights the significance of inclusivity and participatory processes in achieving sustainable outcomes. Alignment with the SDGs: Each case study is connected to specific Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating how local actions contribute to global sustainability objectives. The book illustrates how grassroots initiatives address key areas such as poverty reduction, climate action, and sustainable cities and communities, highlighting the critical role of local efforts in achieving the broader SDG agenda.

This book offers a fresh perspective on the historical, economic, and cultural foundations of capitalism, cities, and climate change. By exploring the intersection of urbanization, consumerism, and colonialism, the book sheds new light on the origins and development of the economic system that has shaped our world today. What sets this book apart is its unique approach, which challenges conventional wisdom and offers new insights into the complex relationships between culture, politics, and economics. The book is intended for readers interested in the history and evolution of capitalism and its impact on society, as well as those interested in climate change and urbanization. The content level is accessible for general readers, yet sophisticated enough to appeal to scholars and researchers. The two most important features of the book are its fresh perspective on the history of mercantilism and its examination of the economic landscape of cities and climate change. By reading this book, readers gain a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between urbanization, colonialism, and economic policies, and their impact on contemporary society.

This academic book critically examines the concept of sustainable futures and its interdependence with the policy framework of Green New Deals. We emphasize the inherent link between the two concepts by highlighting how Green New Deals can pave the way for a sustainable and just future in key areas such as environmental policy, economic development, and social equity. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the book draws on insights from fields such as environmental studies, sustainable development, political ecology, and climate policy to explore the intricacies of these interconnections. The revised description underscores the importance of understanding the Green New Deal's historical and political contexts, as well as its implications for sustainable futures. The book delves into the theoretical perspectives that shape our comprehension of sustainable futures, the diverse strategies employed by countries and regions in implementing Green New Deals, the role of technological innovation and social movements in fostering sustainable transitions, and the political dynamics surrounding the Green New Deal. Through an analysis of the Green New Deal's role in sustainable development, climate policy, and environmental justice, the book provides a necessary and timely contribution to ongoing debates. The chapters offer detailed explorations of the interrelationships between these key areas, emphasizing how the Green New Deal can serve as a transformative policy framework for achieving sustainable and equitable futures. "Sustainable Futures and Green New Deals" is intended for scholars, policymakers, activists, and students interested in understanding the complex and interconnected issues surrounding sustainable development, climate policy, and environmental justice.

This book presents a road map to urban regeneration through the contemporary concept of smart cities. It investigates why the concept has gained adoption as it has but until now it has been geared towards a profit-making venture by large corporations and ignoring the economic aspirations of smaller companies and city councils. The technologies can provide enhanced liveability levels if the concept is redefined. This work will be of interest to academics and policy makers looking at exploring how to drive urban regeneration in a sustainable and inclusive fashion while supporting local economies. It presents a case study of Port Louis, Mauritius, with unique insights and data. Academics, policy makers and urban developers could potentially adopt the model and calibrate it to various cities and quantify the economic and social benefits.

The Metaverse and Smart Cities: Urban Environments in the Age of Digital Connectivity explores the intersection between the rapidly growing metaverse and the future of cities. The metaverse is a virtual world that is increasingly gaining attention as a new frontier for human interaction and commerce. At the same time, cities are undergoing significant transformation as they face challenges such as population growth, urbanization, and environmental degradation. Urban planners and city administrators will find valuable insights on how the metaverse can be integrated into the planning and development of smart, sustainable, and future cities. The book begins with an introduction to the concepts and technology of the metaverse as well as its history. It then sheds light on the current and future challenges and opportunities that the metaverse presents to cities and the quality of life of urban dwellers. It delves into the ways in which the metaverse can change cities, both in terms of their physical and virtual environments, and the impact it can have on the lives of those who live in them. It brings together the latest research and perspectives from experts in the fields of virtual reality, urban planning, and sustainability, to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of this rapidly evolving field.

This book offers a fresh perspective on the historical, economic, and cultural foundations of capitalism, cities, and climate change. By exploring the intersection of urbanization, consumerism, and colonialism, the book sheds new light on the origins and development of the economic system that has shaped our world today. What sets this book apart is its unique approach, which challenges conventional wisdom and offers new insights into the complex relationships between culture, politics, and economics. The book is intended for readers interested in the history and evolution of capitalism and its impact on society, as well as those interested in climate change and urbanization. The content level is accessible for general readers, yet sophisticated enough to appeal to scholars and researchers. The two most important features of the book are its fresh perspective on the history of mercantilism and its examination of the economic landscape of cities and climate change. By reading this book, readers gain a deeper understanding of the complex relationships between urbanization, colonialism, and economic policies, and their impact on contemporary society.

This book presents a road map to urban regeneration through the contemporary concept of smart cities. It investigates why the concept has gained adoption as it has but until now it has been geared towards a profit-making venture by large corporations and ignoring the economic aspirations of smaller companies and city councils. The technologies can provide enhanced liveability levels if the concept is redefined. This work will be of interest to academics and policy makers looking at exploring how to drive urban regeneration in a sustainable and inclusive fashion while supporting local economies. It presents a case study of Port Louis, Mauritius, with unique insights and data. Academics, policy makers and urban developers could potentially adopt the model and calibrate it to various cities and quantify the economic and social benefits.

This book explores how biotechnology can lead to the reimagination of cities. In a time where the increasing adoption of technology by cities is leading to unsustainable environmental and economic concerns, biotechnology has enabled new ways of envisioning data and energy storage. Zaheer Allam thus revisits the popular concept of Smart Cities -and its associated Internet of Things (IoT) to explore how the biological sciences, coupled with technology, can be applied to cities; and in doing so, create living urban organisms on an unprecedented scale. This new concept will open up exciting avenues to providing novel solutions for climate change mitigation. The book goes on to address various potential concerns and discusses what regulatory frameworks would be needed to safely implement such a concept. It will be a useful tool for planners, policy makers and engineers as well as for researchers with in interest in the future of our cities.

?This book introduces the concept of the ‘autonomous city’- a concept that has been developed from the ‘smart cities’ model that is based on a city’s ability to gather data and taking it one step further. The digital revolution has brought about numerous changes in the urban realm, along with the understanding that technology can aid in increasing the performance and efficiency of urban areas. This technology has given rise to a wealth of data allowing urban leaders to respond better to crisis and craft policies that increase the liveability of urban areas. The ‘autonomous city’ explores the possibility of urban areas evolving from the dimension of data gathering to that of action response – so a city able to collect data and render real time decisions to self-manage a variety of functions based on its interpretation of that data. The book discusses how this could lead to the automation of select urban dimensions for increased efficiency and performance, but also details how such a process would require careful consideration when put into practice. This book will be a valuable resource for scholars and students across Urban Planning, Sustainability and STS, as well as practitioners and policy makers involved in the development of urban life.

Surveying the Covid-19 Pandemic and Its Implications: Urban Health, Data Technology and Political Economy explores social, economic, and policy impacts of COVID-19 that will persist for some time. This timely book surveys the COVID-19 from a holistic, high level perspective, examining such topics as Urban health policy responses impact on cities economies, Urban economic impacts of supply chain disruption, The need for coherent short term urban policies that aligns with long term goals, The rise to citizen science initiatives, The role of open data, The need for protocols to support research collaborations, Building larger infectious disease modelling datasets, NS Advanced computing tools for health policy.

This book explores climate change responsiveness policies for cities and discusses why they have been slow to gain traction despite having been on the international agenda for the last 30 years. The contributing role of cities in accentuating the effects of climate change is increasingly demonstrated in the literature, underscoring the unsustainable models on which urban life has been made to thrive. As these issues become increasingly apparent, there are global calls to adopt more sustainable and equitable models, however doing so will mean the disruption of economies that have historically relied upon pollution-generating industries. In order to address these issues the authors examine them from a cross-disciplinary perspective, bringing in regional, local and urban standpoints to subsequently propose an alternative short-term economic model that could accelerate the adoption of climate change mitigation infrastructures and urban sustainability in urban areas. This book will be of particular value to scholars and students alike in the field of urbanism, sustainability and resilience, as well as practitioners looking at avenues for economically incentivizing sustainable development in various geographical context.

This book explores how biotechnology can lead to the reimagination of cities. In a time where the increasing adoption of technology by cities is leading to unsustainable environmental and economic concerns, biotechnology has enabled new ways of envisioning data and energy storage. Zaheer Allam thus revisits the popular concept of Smart Cities -and its associated Internet of Things (IoT) to explore how the biological sciences, coupled with technology, can be applied to cities; and in doing so, create living urban organisms on an unprecedented scale. This new concept will open up exciting avenues to providing novel solutions for climate change mitigation. The book goes on to address various potential concerns and discusses what regulatory frameworks would be needed to safely implement such a concept. It will be a useful tool for planners, policy makers and engineers as well as for researchers with in interest in the future of our cities.

In a world characterised by rapid urbanisation it is increasingly difficult to devise urban governance models which are resilient, safe and inclusive, and that also preserve the environment. This book takes Singapore, a leader in this field, as a case study, looking at its successes in urban governance and smart city planning. Through the lens of environmental sustainability, the author examines Singapore’s recent adoption of technological tools, which have led to increased efficiency and performance, and have also supported its economic ambitions. The book unveils a unique and critical insight into Singapore’s approach. Considering the historical, political and technological context, the author shares the techniques and key projects that have contributed to the all-important improvement of liveability levels in the city state.

This book explores the emergence and development of data in cities. It exposes how Information Communication Technology (ICT) corporations seeking to capitalize on cities developing needs for urban technologies have contributed to many of the issues we are faced with today, including urbanization, centralization of wealth and climate change. Using several case studies, the book provides examples of the, in part, detrimental effects ICT driven ‘Smart City’ solutions have had and will have on the human characteristics that contribute to the identity and sense of belonging innate to many of our cities. The rise in Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and technologies like social media, has changed how people interact with and in cities, and Allam discusses of how these changes require planners, engineers and other urban professionals to adjust their approach. The main question the book seeks to address is ‘how can we use emerging technologies to recalibrate our cities and ensure increased livability, whilst also effectively dealing with their associate challenges?’ This is an ongoing conversation, but one that requires extensive thought as it has extensive consequences. This book will be of interest to students, academics, professionals and policy makers across a broad range of subjects including urban studies, architecture and STS, geography and social policy.

Even though theology does provide interesting and important contributions to ethics that laid the foundation of our modern societies, this book looks at exploring how theology has impacted on urban morphology and has led to questionable unsustainable practices which impacts on both climate and societal living standards. This is seen as being accelerated with the impacts of climate change coupled with increasing urbanisation rates that stresses on contemporary notions and foundations, as initially sparked by religion. Through an argumentative style, the author sets forth to explore the ethics of religious dogmas in a rapidly urbanising world that is stressed by increasing consumption from a booming demographic.