CRC Press

GIS and archaeological site location modeling. (CD-ROM included)

While acknowledging that "fatal flaws" in societal modeling or site prospection remain in the field of archaeology, Mehrer (anthropology, Northern Illinois U.) and Wescott (Argonne National Laboratory) nonetheless feel that the use of geographic information systems can be a valuable addition to the field. In this volume, they present 21 papers that examine theoretical and methodological issues and present some initial examples of applications. The papers deal with adaptive sampling, issues of scale, estimating parameters of spatial processes, quantitative issues of predictive models, and large databases and cultural resource management. Among the applications described are a study of ancient Roman roads and fields systems, a predictive model and decision support system for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, a tool for simulating hunter-gatherer decision making and behavior, and a model of the changing Mesopotamian landscape as seen from spot and corona images. The contents of the CD-ROM are not described in the text. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The semantic turn; a new foundation for design.

The profession of design must stop merely shaping the appearance of mechanical products that industry is equipped to manufacture, argues Krippendorff (communication, cybernetics, language, and culture; U. of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication), and begin to conceptualize artifacts — material or social — that have a chance of meaning something to their users, that aid larger communities, and that support a society that is in the process of reconstructing itself in unprecedented ways and at record speeds. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Sustainable transport; planning for walking and cycling in urban environments.

This update of The Greening of Urban Transport: Planning, Walking and Cycling in Western Cities of 1997 is almost completely new, and reflects the contributors' work in finding sustainable transport across the UK and the US in 54 articles. Those on the basic principles include such issues as ecological footprints, climate change, the role of non-motorized modes in systems, walking in an international and historical context, explanations for decline in walking, visions for city traffic and mobility, formal indicators, securing space, cycling for women, health issues, the walking economy, planning for safety, perceptions of walking and cycling and car restraint. Those on strategies include infrastructure planning and creating safe environments, the "livable neighborhoods" strategy, promotion and advocacy, and the efficacy of policies, while those on practice include case studies on improving conditions in The Netherlands, Japan, the UK, Australia, the US, Canada, Denmark, France, and Italy. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)