Science and the City: The Mechanics Behind the Metropolis

Description

There is an incredible amount of hidden science behind urban life, secretly working to keep things moving. Science and the City looks at this in detail, on a journey of discovery around the great cities of the world, both now and into the future. Technological advances in fields as diverse as quantum mechanics, ergonomics and thermodynamics are proving increasingly important in city life, and the urban world will turn to science to deliver solutions to the problems of the future - 50% of the world's population now lives in cities, and that proportion is growing fast. Can technology 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 materials help to build the tallest skyscrapers in Dubai, how New Yorkers use light to treat their drinking water, how Tokyo commuters' footsteps power gates in train stations - and looks at the technology that will help us solve future problems as the world's population soars to eight billion, ten billion, twenty billion - the need for ever-higher skyscrapers, or the demand for power, water and internet access, or indeed how to simply get about in a megacity of tens of millions of people. Written in an enjoyable and informal style, Science and the City is built on solid foundations of science fact, with a decent sprinkling of speculation on top.

Laurie Winkless is a physicist based in London. Following a degree at Trinity College, Dublin, during which time she enjoyed a placement at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, and a masters in Space Science at UCL, Laurie worked at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), specialising in Functional Materials - carbon nanotubes, water-repellent surfaces, organic electronics and spacecraft materials were her bag. She was also involved in a major EU project exploring a potentially world-changing technology, thermoelectric energy harvesting, which involves the capture and conversion of waste heat into electricity. Laurie is an experienced science communicator and blogger, who has given TEDx talks, worked as a reporter for the Naked Scientists, appeared in The Times magazine, and exhibited at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.

In one relatively short book, Winkless manages to seamlessly cover everything from the definition of a kilowatt-hour to an explanation of how machine learning could have a lasting impact on traffic-signal timing. * Science * Offers a unique insight into the revolutionary thinking that is shaping big cities around the world. * Sunday Times * Provides a fun and engaging insight into how cutting-edge technology is shaping our cities. Winkless's love of science and curiosity shines through. * Irish Independent * 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 This book is a wonderful source of fascinating information. It is future-looking also, describing the technology that will change the world we live in. A very readable book, for all inquisitive folk! -- Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Visiting Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford Fascinating, lucid and entertaining; her infectious enthusiasm for the subject lights up every page. -- John O'Farrell, comedy scriptwriter and author of The Man Who Forgot His Wife