Bøker i Sustainable Development-serien

Land use planning is a complex task that affects all aspects of life in contemporary societies. As such, this book includes contributions from specialists around the globe who have successfully undertaken empirical studies and analysis of rural and urban planning problems. Based on empirical research, this book discusses a variety of topics including agricultural land preservation plans and laws in Iran; using a multi-objective land allocation model to simulate urban growth in the Sarakh border city of Iran; implementation and management of urban land use plans in Ghana; spatiotemporal analysis of urban expansion methods for land use planning; and linking land use changes to policy decisions in Iran. Although limited in scope, the book serves as important reference material on similar contemporary land use planning issues in the developing world.

Human activities cause the degradation of innumerable ecosystems, including forests. The degradation of forests leads to far-reaching nutrient cycle changes throughout all environments. Reversible or irreversible degradation processes cause declines in an ecosystem's ability to self-regulate. Reversible processes decrease native forest biodiversity while preserving the ecosystem's abiotic components, whereas irreversible processes alter the character of the potential natural vegetation. This book discusses forest degradation in three sections on general, climatic, and land-use degradative effects.

The debate on globalization and sustainability has gained momentum in the last few years, thus shedding light on the interrelatedness of these two concepts as well as on their cross-cultural aspects. The 2030 United Nations Agenda adopted in 2015 is a shared blueprint for partnerships for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. This strategic to-do list involves meeting Sustainable Development Goals and associated targets linked to sustainable growth, tourism and food systems, reduced energy and water costs, improved health, and increased productivity. This book is centered upon these fields of knowledge and discusses recent advances, new perspectives, and emerging issues. Its ultimate objective is to provide a comprehensive overview of related multi-faceted dimensions while bridging the gap between theory and practice. Chapters in this volume cover a wide array of areas of research pertaining to the never-ending and unlimited expanding of both international economies and operations, embedding excellence and sustainability into business strategic objectives, and rethinking an approach to sustainable globalization. Special attention is paid to financial implications, due to the key role that finance plays to complement the real sphere of the economy and that has increasingly attracted the attention of both academics and practitioners.