Science and the City: The Mechanics Behind the Metropolis by Laurie Winkless
Synopsis: Cities are a big deal. More people now live in them than don’t, and with a growing world population, the urban jungle is only going to get busier in the coming decades. But how often do we stop to think about what makes our cities work?
Cities are built using some of the most creative and revolutionary science and engineering ideas – from steel structures that scrape the sky to glass cables that help us communicate at the speed of light – but most of us are too busy to notice. Science and the City is your guidebook to that hidden world, helping you to uncover some of the remarkable technologies that keep the world’s great metropolises moving.
Laurie Winkless takes us around cities in six continents to find out how they’re dealing with the challenges of feeding, housing, powering and connecting more people than ever before. In this book, you’ll meet urban pioneers from history, along with today’s experts in everything from roads to time, and you will uncover the vital role science has played in shaping the city around you. But more than that, by exploring cutting-edge research from labs across the world, you’ll build your own vision of the megacity of tomorrow, based on science fact rather than science fiction.
Science and the City is the perfect read for anyone curious about the world they live in.
Published: August 2016 | ISBN: 9781472913210
Book’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/scienceandcity
Author’s Homepage: http://www.lauriewinkless.com
Author’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurie_winkless
“If you are looking for a guide to the city, look no further than this book. Its got attitude and humour delightfully balanced by Winkless’ insight and clarity.” – Mark Miodownik, Professor of Materials at UCL, UK, and author of Stuff Matters
“This book is an engaging read, opening our eyes to the extraordinary science underpinning the urban world that is all too easy to take for granted. Looking both back, to how the cities have developed, and forward with a bit of informed crystal-ball gazing, the author conveys the challenges we face and the technology we have and need to develop to continue to thrive.” – Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics and Master of Churchill College, University of Cambridge
[Image Credit: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/science-and-the-city-9781472913210/ ]
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