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Underground Engineering for Sustainable Urban Development by
For thousands of years, the underground has provided humans refuge, useful resources, physical support for surface structures, and a place for spiritual or artistic expression. More recently, many urban services have been placed underground. Over this time, humans have rarely considered how underground space can contribute to or be engineered to maximize its contribution to the sustainability of society. As human activities begin to change the planet and population struggle to maintain satisfactory standards of living, placing new infrastructure and related facilities underground may be the most successful way to encourage or support the redirection of urban development into sustainable patterns. Well maintained, resilient, and adequately performing underground infrastructure, therefore, becomes an essential part of sustainability, but much remains to be learned about improving the sustainability of underground infrastructure itself. At the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Research Council (NRC) conducted a study to consider sustainable underground development in the urban environment, to identify research needed to maximize opportunities for using underground space, and to enhance understanding among the public and technical communities of the role of underground engineering in urban sustainability. Underground Engineering for Sustainable Urban Development explains the findings of researchers and practitioners with expertise in geotechnical engineering, underground design and construction, trenchless technologies, risk assessment, visualization techniques for geotechnical applications, sustainable infrastructure development, life cycle assessment, infrastructure policy and planning, and fire prevention, safety and ventilation in the underground. This report is intended to inform a future research track and will be of interest to a broad audience including those in the private and public sectors engaged in urban and facility planning and design, underground construction, and safety and security.
Handbook of International Bridge Engineering by
This comprehensive and up-to-date reference work and resource book covers state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice for bridge engineering worldwide. Countries covered include Canada and the United States in North America; Argentina and Brazil in South America; Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine in the European continent; China, Indonesia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand in Asia; and Egypt, Iran, and Turkey in the Middle East. The book examines the use of different materials for each region, including stone, timber, concrete, steel, and composite. It examines various bridge types, including slab, girder, segmental, truss, arch, suspension, and cable-stayed. A color insert illustrates select landmark bridges. It also presents ten benchmark comparisons for highway composite girder design from different countries; 　the highest bridges; the top 100 longest bridges, and the top 20 longest bridge spans for various bridge types including suspension, cable-stayed, extradosed, arch, girder, movable bridges (vertical lift, swing, and bascule), floating, stress ribbon, and timber; and bridge construction methods.
Renewable Fuel Standard by
In the United States, we have come to depend on plentiful and inexpensive energy to support our economy and lifestyles. In recent years, many questions have been raised regarding the sustainability of our current pattern of high consumption of nonrenewable energy and its environmental consequences. Further, because the United States imports about 55 percent of the nation's consumption of crude oil, there are additional concerns about the security of supply. Hence, efforts are being made to find alternatives to our current pathway, including greater energy efficiency and use of energy sources that could lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as nuclear and renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. The United States has a long history with biofuels and the nation is on a course charted to achieve a substantial increase in biofuels. Renewable Fuel Standard evaluates the economic and environmental consequences of increasing biofuels production as a result of Renewable Fuels Standard, as amended by EISA (RFS2). The report describes biofuels produced in 2010 and those projected to be produced and consumed by 2022, reviews model projections and other estimates of the relative impact on the prices of land, and discusses the potential environmental harm and benefits of biofuels production and the barriers to achieving the RFS2 consumption mandate. Policy makers, investors, leaders in the transportation sector, and others with concerns for the environment, economy, and energy security can rely on the recommendations provided in this report.
Environmental Flows by
Environmental Flows describes the timing, quality, and quantity of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human well-being and livelihoods that depend upon them. It answers crucial questions about the flow of water within and between different kinds of ecosystems. What happens when the flow or the availability of water is curtailed or diverted, either naturally or by human activity? How will climate change alter the availability of water and impact aquatic ecosystems? Methodological developments from the simplest hydrological formulas to large-scale frameworks that inform water management make this book a must-read for water managers and freshwater and estuarine ecologists contending with ever-changing conditions influencing the flow of water.
The Spotter's Guide to Urban Engineering by
An illustrated field guide to the technology that keeps our cities and towns working. The Spotter's Guide to Urban Engineering is a useful identification tool to the mysteries of how our cities are built and work. Each spread identifies an example of urban engineering and describes what it is, how it works and why it is there. Annotated diagrams explain the technology, and location maps indicate noteworthy real-world examples. Most importantly for spotters, the book gives advice on how to identify these features and tips on where to spot them. The book covers the main areas of engineering infrastructure. Concise descriptions begin with a brief introduction, a timeline tracing that area's development and a synopsis of facts and figures. More than 300 illustrations and a durable flexibound format allow for easy reference in the field. The book covers: Managing raw materials, including mining, agriculture, waterworks and manufacturing Making power, including electricity grids, oil and gas extraction and distribution, and renewable energy Transport, including highways, railways, bridges, tunnels, canals and aviation Communications, including telephone, radio, television, satellites and digital technology Waste, including sewers, industrial and residential waste management, recycling. The Spotter's Guide to Urban Engineering provides lay readers with a fascinating introduction to the technology that underpins modern life. Those contemplating a career in civil engineering will find the book of particular interest.
City Water, City Life by
A city is more than a massing of citizens, a layout of buildings and streets, or an arrangement of political, economic, and social institutions. It is also an infrastructure of ideas that are a support for the beliefs, values, and aspirations of the people who created the city. In City Water, City Life, celebrated historian Carl Smith explores this concept through an insightful examination of the development of the first successful waterworks systems in Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago between the 1790s and the 1860s. By examining the place of water in the nineteenth-century consciousness, Smith illuminates how city dwellers perceived themselves during the great age of American urbanization. But City Water, City Life is more than a history of urbanization. It is also a refreshing meditation on water as a necessity, as a resource for commerce and industry, and as an essential--and central--part of how we define our civilization.
Electrical Railway Transportation Systems by
Allows the reader to deepen their understanding of various technologies for both fixed power supply installations of railway systems and for railway rolling stock This book explores the electric railway systems that play a crucial role in the mitigation of congestion and pollution caused by road traffic. It is divided into two parts: the first covering fixed power supply systems, and the second concerning the systems for railway rolling stock. In particular, after a historical introduction to the framework of technological solutions in current use, the authors investigate electrification systems for the power supply of rail vehicles, trams, and subways. Electrical Railway Transportation Systems explores the direct current systems used throughout the world for urban and suburban transport, which are also used in various countries for regional transport. It provides a study of alternating current systems, whether for power supply frequency or for special railway frequency, that are used around the world for the electrification of railway lines, long-distance lines, and high-speed lines. In addition, this resource: Analyzes multiple railway systems from a theoretical and realizable vantage point, with particular regard to functionality, electromagnetic compatibility, and interferences with other electrical systems Studies electric traction railway vehicles, presenting various types of drives and auxiliary devices currently in circulation Discusses solutions employed to ensure interoperability of vehicles that run along lines powered by different systems (e.g., DC and AC, at different frequencies) Electrical Railway Transportation Systems is an ideal text for graduate students studying the subject as well as for industry professionals working in the field.