Livable Proximity

“Livable Proximity is a passionate and compelling call for a remaking of the city under a novel paradigm of relationality and care by one of the most accomplished design thinkers of our time.” – ARTURO ESCOBAR This book is a contribution to the social conversation on the city and its future. It focuses on an idea that has been in circulation for some time and that, in recent years, has received greater attention: that of a city in which everything that is needed for daily life is just a few minutes away by foot from where people live. In addition, it speaks of a city in which this functional proximity corresponds to a relational proximity, thanks to which people have more opportunities to encounter each other, support each other, care for each other and the environment, and collaborate to reach goals together. Ultimately, it is a city built starting from the life of the citizens and an idea of livable proximity in which they can find what they need to live, and to do so together with others. The underlying theme that this book poses is thus the following: can we construct the contemporary city starting from a new idea of proximity? The response given is yes, it can be done. The social innovations of the last 20 years in fact indicate where to start. Many cities in the world, including Paris, Barcelona, and Milan have made a commitment and are taking steps in this direction, offering concrete examples of what this city of proximity could be: a city in which social innovation, care, common goods, communities of place, and enabling digital platforms become the keywords of a new and widespread social capacity to design.

This book is a contribution to the social debate about the city and its future. It proposes the idea of the city of proximity, or the "15-minute city" a city where everything you need on a daily basis is just a few minutes away. In short, a city built from the life of its citizens and from an idea of habitable proximity in which they can find what they need to live, and to do it together with others. The basic theme of this book is therefore: can we build the contemporary city starting from a new idea of proximity? The answer it proposes is yes we can. Many cities in the world, including Paris, Barcelona, and Milan, have made commitments and are taking steps in this same direction, proposing concrete anticipations of what this city of proximity can be.

Volume CCIS 1655 is part of the refereed proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2022, which was held virtually during June 26 to July 1, 2022. A total of 5583 individuals from academia, research institutes, industry, and governmental agencies from 88 countries submitted contributions, and 1276 papers and 275 posters were included in the proceedings that were published just before the start of the conference. Additionally, 296 papers and 181 posters are included in the volumes of the proceedings published after the conference, as “Late Breaking Work” (papers and posters). The contributions thoroughly cover the entire field of human-computer interaction, addressing major advances in knowledge and effective use of computers in a variety of application areas.

How human behavior brought our world to the brink, and how human behavior can save us. The world is a mess. Our dire predicament, from collapsing social structures to the climate crisis, has been millennia in the making and can be traced back to the erroneous belief that the earth's resources are infinite. The key to change, says Don Norman, is human behavior, covered in the book's three major themes: meaning, sustainability, and humanity-centeredness. Emphasize quality of life, not monetary rewards; restructure how we live to better protect the environment; and focus on all of humanity. Design for a Better World presents an eye-opening diagnosis of where we've gone wrong and a clear prescription for making things better. Norman proposes a new way of thinking, one that recognizes our place in a complex global system where even simple behaviors affect the entire world. He identifies the economic metrics that contribute to the harmful effects of commerce and manufacturing and proposes a recalibration of what we consider important in life. His experience as both a scientist and business executive gives him the perspective to show how to make these changes while maintaining a thriving economy. Let the change begin with this book before it's too late.

Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policymakers and economists have to work together to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations. This collaboration was the aim of the 12th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning, from which the papers in this volume originate. Problems related to development and planning, which affect rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world. Accelerated urbanisation has resulted in the deterioration of the environment and loss of quality of life. Urban development can also aggravate problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, amongst many others. Taking into consideration the interaction between different regions and developing new methodologies for monitoring, planning and implementation of novel strategies can offer solutions mitigating environmental pollution and non-sustainable use of available resources. Energy-saving and eco-friendly building approaches have become an important part of modern development, which places special emphasis on resource optimisation. Planning has a key role to play in ensuring that these solutions, as well as new materials and processes, are incorporated in the most efficient manner. The included papers feature new academic findings and their applications in planning and development strategies, assessment tools, and decision-making processes.

This book presents selected articles from the 15th International Asian Urbanization Conference, held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on November 27-30, 2019. Bringing together researchers and professionals in the area of urban planning and development to better understand the growing need for sustainable urban life, it covers topics such as climate change and urban resilience; inclusive and implementable urban governance; smart and green mobility; transformations in land management; livable and smart cities; integrated planning and development; urban slums and affordable housing; sustainable urban finance; and urban renewal and redevelopment.