The Many Facets of Human Settlements

The Many Facets of Human Settlements: Science and Society focuses on communications, energy, and planning and design issues besetting human settlements. The book also tackles rural and urban development, types of habitats, industrialization, and lifestyles. The selection first discusses the influence of technology in shaping lifestyles, including advanced urban systems, programs on communications, and technology assessment of telecommunication-transportation interactions. Concerns include goals for the performance of human settlements and innovations for cities of the future; overview of studies and experiments pursued by the New Rural Society; and concept for a nationwide satellite communication systems to serve rural areas. The text then looks at the sources of energy in human settlements. Topics include alternatives to gas heat, coal, oil, solar heating, heat pump, and action plan. The book examines energy conservation in housing design, ecotechnologies and ecocommunities, bioshelters and their implications for lifestyle, high-rise habitat, and energy and rural development. The text also tackles industrialization and urbanization in Japan. Considerations include population density and urbanization, environmental disruption, and Japan as a postindustrial society. The selection is a vital source of data for readers interested in the issues and factors influencing human settlements.