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Flooding in California. Drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. Massive fish kills in Texas and Australia. "Forever chemicals" in US drinking water. Similar headlines are sure to dominate the news in the years ahead. What is sometimes missing from the headlines, though, is an understanding that these diverse problems are related: manifestations of serious underlying stresses on our water systems. These stresses require sustained attention from water managers, scientists, policymakers, and the public, even after the headlines have faded. That attention, in turn, requires a shared understanding of how water systems function, the problems facing them, and the tools available to increase their resilience. This text fills that need by providing the necessary knowledge base for understanding and managing complex water problems. It is geared primarily towards students in water management courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels but will also be a helpful resource for practicing water professionals who want to get new ideas or a broader view of the subject. Rather than focusing on one type of water problem (as many water books do), this text explores the entire gamut of water issues, from dams to desalination, from flooding to famine, from prior appropriation to pumped storage, from sanitation to stormwater. And rather than teaching from one disciplinary perspective (as many water books do), it looks at water problems through a variety of lenses: hydrology, climate science, ecology, and engineering, but also law, economics, history, and environmental justice. The result is a concise yet comprehensive introduction to one of the most critical and demanding challenges of our time: developing just and sustainable solutions to water management.

In Bicycle City: Riding the Bike Boom to a Brighter Future cycling expert Daniel Piatkowski argues that the bicycle is the best tool that we have to improve our cities. The car-free urban future--where cities are vibrant, with access to everything we need close by--may be less bike-centric than we think. But bikes are a crucial first step to getting Americans out of cars. Piatkowski offers pragmatic lessons drawn from the latest research along with interviews, anecdotes, and case studies from around the world. Electric bikes are demonstrating the ability of bikes to replace cars in more places and for more people. Cargo bikes are replacing SUVs for families and delivery trucks for freight. At the same time, mobility startups are providing new ownership models to make these new bikes easier to use and own, ushering in a new era of pedal-powered cities. Bicycle City is about making cities better with bikes rather than for bikes.

Climate tech is critical for averting planetary chaos. Half the greenhouse gas reductions required to reach "net-zero" climate targets in 2050 will need to come from technologies that have not yet been invented. Making Climate Tech Work is an insightful analysis of how smart government policies can make those technologies a reality. Which approaches can lead us to a sustainable economy, and which are likely to fall short? Learn how Denmark became a wind energy superpower, Germany incentivized renewables, Australia phased out incandescent bulbs, and why carbon taxes have failed around the world - but could be designed for success. Alon Tal expertly distills each policy's benefits and drawbacks, along with related ethical questions and public perceptions. The result is an essential primer for anyone interested in accelerating climate tech solutions.

"As unprecedented heat waves, storms of the century, and devastating fires impact cities across the country, the time to create climate-resilient communities is now. While large-scale innovations in policy and technology are necessary to preserve the planet, the wisest and most lasting adaptation solutions originate at the local level. However, with something as large as the climate crisis, it can be hard to know where to begin. Climate Action for Busy People is a hopeful and realistic roadmap for individuals and groups who want to boost climate preparedness and move the needle toward environmental justice. Drawing from her professional and personal success in climate adaptation and community organizing, Cate Mingoya-LaFortune begins with a brief history of why our communities look the way they do (spoiler, it's not an accident!) and how that affects how vulnerable we are to climate risks. Each chapter will help readers scale up their actions, from identifying climate solutions that an individual or small group can pull off in a handful of weekends, like tree plantings or depaving parties, to advocating for change at the municipal level through coalition-building and data collection. It's not too late for people of all ages and skill levels to create climate-safe neighborhoods. Climate Action for Busy People is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to make lasting and equitable improvements that will make their communities climate resilient"--

One third of people living in the United States do not have a driver license. Because the majority of involuntary nondrivers are disabled, lower income, unhoused, formerly incarcerated, undocumented immigrants, kids, young people, and the elderly, they are largely invisible. In When Driving is Not an Option disability advocate Anna Letitia Zivarts draws from interviews with involuntary nondrivers from around the US and from her own experience, to shine a light on the number of people in the US who cannot drive and outline actions to improve our mobility systems. When the needs of involuntary nondrivers are viewed as essential to how we design our transportation systems and our communities, not only will we be able to more easily get where we need to go, but the changes will lead to healthier, climate-friendly communities for everyone.

"In this eye-opening debut study, Frerick, an agricultural policy fellow at Yale University, reveals the ill-gained stranglehold that a handful of companies have on America's food economy...It's a disquieting critique of private monopolization of public necessities." - Publishers Weekly, starred Barons is the story of seven titans of the food industry, their rise to power, and the consequences for workers, eaters, and democracy itself. Readers will meet a secretive German family that took over the global coffee industry in less than a decade, relying on wealth traced back to the Nazis to gobble up countless independent roasters. They will visit the Disneyland of agriculture, where school children ride trams through mechanized warehouses filled with tens of thousands of cows that never see the light of day. And they will learn that in the food business, crime really does pay--especially when you can bribe and then double-cross the president of Brazil. Barons paints a stark portrait of corporate consolidation, but it also shows that a fair, healthy, and prosperous food industry is possible--if we take back power from the barons who have robbed us of it.

"Imagine one day you receive a letter in the mail that informs you that a large energy company is planning to build a massive pipeline through your property... This was the gist of the letter that Dominion Energy sent to thousands of residents living along the path of its proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2014, setting off an epic, six-year battle that eventually led all the way to the Supreme Court...Vivid and suspenseful, gut-wrenching and insightful, Gaslight is more than the chronicle of a turning point in American history. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the dark, overlooked story of America's "favorite fossil fuel," and the immense future stakes of the energy choices we face today." --

Fixing the carnage on our roadways requires a change in mindset and a dramatic transformation of transportation. This goes for traffic engineers in particular because they are still the ones in charge of our streets. In Killed by a Traffic Engineer, civil engineering professor Wes Marshall shines a spotlight on how little science there is behind the way that our streets are engineered, which leaves safety as an afterthought. While traffic engineers are not trying to cause deliberate harm to anyone, he explains, they are guilty of creating a transportation system whose designs remain largely based on plausible, but unproven, conjecture. Killed by a Traffic Engineer is ultimately hopeful about what is possible once we shift our thinking and demand streets engineered for the safety of people, both outside and inside of cars. It will make you look at your city and streets--and traffic engineers--in a new light and inspire you to take action.

"For too long, Native American people in the United States have been stereotyped as vestiges of the past, invisible citizens in their own land obliged to remind others, "We are still here!" Yet today, Native leaders are at the center of social change, challenging philanthropic organizations that have historically excluded Native people, and fighting for economic and environmental justice."--

In the US, design choices made by the typical architecture firm employee each year can reduce emissions by about 300 times that of an average American. What if great design were defined by its ability to cool the planet, heal communities, enhance ecological functioning, and advance justice? In People, Planet, Design, architect Corey Squire builds the case, provides the data, and lays out the practical tools for human-centered architecture. This approach integrates beauty and delight with an awareness of every design choice's impact. Outcome-focused with a deep dive into practical strategies, the book showcases ten building systems that embody design excellence. Essential reading for architects who want to transform what the profession means, People, Planet, Design pioneers a new vision and sets readers up with clear guidance for implementation.

The first edition of Human Transit, published in 2011, has become a classic for professionals, advocates, and interested citizens. Walker has updated and expanded the book to deepen its explanations. New topics include the problem with specialization; the role of flexible or "demand response" services; how to know when to redesign your network; and responding to tech-industry claims that transit will soon be obsolete. Finally, he has also added a major new section exploring the idea of access to opportunity as a core measure of transit's success. No other book explains the basic principles of public transit in such lively and accessible prose, all based on a respect for your right to form your own opinion. Walker's goal is not to make you share his values, but to give you the tools to clarify and advocate for yours.

How do you experience a public space? Do you feel safe? Seen? Represented? The response to these questions may differ based on factors including your race, age, ethnicity, or gender identity. In Empathic Design, designer and architecture professor Elgin Cleckley brings together leaders and visionaries in architecture, urban design, planning, and design activism to explore what it means to design with empathy. Empathic designers work with and in the communities affected. They acknowledge the full history of a place and approach the lived experience and memories of those in the community with respect. Contributors explore broader conceptual approaches and highlight design projects including the Harriet Tubman Memorial in Newark, which replaced a long-standing statue of Christopher Columbus; and restoration of the Freedom Center in Oklahoma City, first built by civil activist Clara Luper to provide a safe place for gathering and youth education; and The Camp Barker Memorial in Washington, D.C., which commemorates a "contraband camp" used to house former slaves who had been captured by the Union Army. Empathic Design provides essential approaches and methods from multiple perspectives, meeting the needs of our time and holding space for readers to find themselves.

Water shortages are plaguing communities from coast to coast, and recycled water could help close that gap. In Purified: How Recycled Sewage Is Transforming Our Water, veteran journalist Peter Annin shows that wastewater has become a surprising weapon in America's war against water scarcity. In five water-strapped states--California, Texas, Virginia, Nevada, and Florida--current filtration technology is transforming sewage into something akin to distilled water, free of chemicals and safe to drink. But sensationalist media coverage has repeatedly crippled water recycling efforts. Can public opinion turn in time to avoid the worst consequences? Purified's fast-paced narrative cuts through the fearmongering and misinformation to make the case that recycled water is direly needed in the climate-change era. Water cannot be taken for granted anymore--and that includes sewage.

"Our climate crisis is resulting in more frequent and more intense extreme weather events. The US population is aging (by 2034, the US will have more people over 65 than under 18). Older adults often have challenges in preparing for and responding to a disaster (limited mobility, cognitive challenges, financial and housing instability) that the disaster management and health-care communities are not prepared to address, in spite of the evidence that older adults are disproportionately affected by natural disasters. There is very little written about the intersection of these trends. It is precisely this challenge - understanding how the many dimensions of vulnerability intersect with and compound climate impacts on older adults - that is at the heart of this book. Danielle argues that we cannot achieve true resilience until communities adopt interventions that work to meet the needs of their oldest. The book explores how older adults experience climate-related risk, why resilience interventions look different when designed with the needs of older adults in mind, and how to integrate age-friendly resilience into community planning and disaster preparedness efforts. The author draws from her experience in hazard planning and leading the livable communities program at AARP to make a strong case for prioritizing the needs of our most vulnerable citizens. She provides practical steps and some examples of what is being done at all levels of government and by NGOs. While there are examples sprinkled throughout the book, the chapter on models takes a more in depth look at New York State; Portland, Oregon and Multnomah County; and New Orleans"-- Provided by publisher.

"In March 2011, people in a coastal Japanese city stood atop a seawall watching the approach of the tsunami that would kill them. They believed--naively--that the huge concrete barrier would save them. Instead they perished, betrayed by the very thing built to protect them. Erratic weather, blistering drought, rising seas, and ecosystem collapse now affect every inch of the globe. Increasingly, we no longer look to stop climate change, choosing instead to adapt to it."--

When Katherine Miller was first asked to train chefs to be advocates, she thought the idea was ludicrous. This was a group known for short tempers and tattoos, not for saving the world. But she quickly learned that chefs and other leaders in the restaurant industry are some of the most powerful forces for change in our troubled food system. Chefs are leading hunger relief efforts, supporting local farmers, fighting food waste, confronting racism and sexism in the industry, and much more. In At the Table, Miller presents the essential techniques she developed for the James Beard Foundation's Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change. Readers will learn how to focus their philanthropic efforts; pinpoint their audience and develop their argument; recruit allies and support action; and maybe most importantly, grab people's attention in a crowded media landscape. You don't have to be a celebrity chef to change the food system; you just need the will and the tools in this unique guide.

"Congestion is the life of the city . . . it is what we came for, what we stay for, what we hunger for", wrote Charles Downing Lay, prominent American landscape architect and planner of the early 1920s. These words are relevant today as density and congestion are once again under siege, especially in our most productive and thriving cities. Published in 1926, The Freedom of the City by Charles Downing Lay is an eloquent and timely defense of urbanism and city life. Award-winning author and urban historian Thomas J. Campanella has given Lay's text new life and relevance, with the addition of explanatory notes, imagery, an introduction, and biographical essay, to bring this important work to a new generation of urbanists. -- Provided by the publisher.

"For more than fifty years, we have been waging, but not winning, the war on cancer. We're better than ever at treating the disease, yet cancer still claims the lives of one in five men and one in six women in the US. The astonishing news is that up to two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes. If we can stop cancer before it begins, why don't we? That was the question that motivated Kristina Marusic's revelatory inquiry into cancer prevention. In searching for answers, she met remarkable doctors, scientists, and advocates who are upending our understanding of cancer and how to fight it. They recognize that we will never reduce cancer rates without ridding our lives of the chemicals that increasingly trigger this deadly disease. Most never imagined this role for themselves. One scientist grew up without seeing examples of Indian-American women in the field, yet went on to make shocking discoveries about racial disparities in cancer risk. Another leader knew her calling was children's health, but realized only later in her career that kids can be harmed by invisible pollutants at their daycares. Others uncovered surprising links between cancer and the everyday items that fill our homes and offices. For these individuals, the fight has become personal. And it certainly is personal for Berry, a young woman whose battle with breast cancer is woven throughout these pages. Might Berry have dodged cancer had she not grown up in Oil City, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of refineries? There is no way to know for sure. But she is certain that, even with the best treatment available, her life was changed irrevocably by her diagnosis. Marusic shows that, collectively, we have the power to prevent many cases like Berry's. The war on cancer is winnable--if we revolutionize the way we fight." -- book jacket.

Would you experience your city differently if your doorstep were a trailhead? Many people don't have close-by, safe places to walk, despite walking's known benefits. In Beyond Greenways: The Next Step for City Trails and Walking Routes, greenways expert Robert Searns introduces a new generation of more accessible pathways that stitch together urban and suburban areas. Searns introduces two models--grand loop trails and town walks. Grand loop trails are 20 to 350-mile systems that encircle metro areas. Town walks are shorter--2 to 6-mile routes in cities. He then lays out how to plan, design, and build support for them, drawing inspiration from trails in the US and abroad. Planners, trail advocates, and community leaders will find the tools here to develop successful and affordable trails. Now is the time to pursue accessible pedestrian routes for this, and future, generations.

"The next time you hear the low buzzing sound of an approaching bee, look closer: the bee has navigated to this particular spot for a reason using a fascinating set of tools. She might be responding to scents on the breeze as her olfactory organs provide a 3D map of an object's location. She might be tracing the route based on her memories of a particular flower or the electrostatic traces left by other bees. What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees invites us to follow bees' mysterious pathways and experience their complex and alien world. Although their brains are incredibly small--just one million neurons compared to humans' 100 billion--bees have remarkable abilities to navigate, learn, communicate, and remember. In What a Bee Knows, entomologist Stephen Buchmann explores a bee's way of seeing the world and introduces the scientists who make the journey possible. What a Bee Knows will challenge your idea of a bee's place in the world--and perhaps our own."--

How do you change a system that was never designed to be equitable? In Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities, transportation expert Veronica O. Davis shines a light on the inequitable and often destructive practice of transportation planning and engineering. She calls for new thinking and more diverse leadership to create transportation networks that connect people to jobs, education, opportunities, and to each other. Davis aims to disrupt the status quo of the transportation industry. She urges transportation professionals to reflect on past injustices and elevate current practice to do the hard work that results in more than an idea and a catchphrase. Inclusive Transportation is a call to action and a practical approach to shaping communities based on principles of justice and equity.