Science is secretly at work behind the scenes of major cities of the
world and will continue to be so. Technological advances in fields as
diverse as quantum mechanics, electronics, and nanotechnology are
proving increasingly important to city life, and the urban world will
turn to science to deliver solutions to the problems of the future; more
than 50 percent of the world's population now lives in cities, and that
proportion is growing fast. Can engineering provide the answer to a
viable megacity future?
Science and the City starts at your front door and guides you through
the technology of everyday city life: how new approaches to building
materials help to construct the tallest skyscrapers in Dubai, how New
Yorkers use light to treat their drinking water, how Tokyo commuters'
footsteps power gates in train stations. Uncovering the science and
engineering that shapes our cities, Laurie Winkless reveals how
technology will help us meet the challenges of a soaring world
population--from an ever-increasing demand for power, water, and
internet access, to simply how to get about in a megacity of tens of
millions of people.