The Mobility Forum

This is a fully revised edition of the groundbreaking study on tourism, which was originally published in 1990. The original chapters have been empirically updated and many new research findings incorporated and evaluated. This Second Edition deepens our understanding of how the tourist gaze orders and regulates the relationship with the tourist environment, demarcating the `other′ and identifying the `out-of-the-ordinary′. It elucidates the relationship between tourism and embodiment and elaborates on the connections between mobility as a mark of modern and postmodern experience and the attraction of tourism as a lifestyle choice. The result is a book that builds on the proven strengths of the first edition and revitalizes the argument to address the needs of researchers and students in the new century. Praise for the First Edition: `There is much to be applauded here...this is an engaging and thought provoking book which should be read by those interested in advertising and the changing nature of contemporary culture′ - Contemporary Sociology `The book is written in a very accessible style that would serve as a good point of entry for anyone interested in leisure, tourism, and cultural change in contemporary societies. The scope of Urry′s book is breathtaking, one is left with a feeling of coming to terms with the complex set of social relations that are tourism, both in their production and consumption′ - Planning Practice and Research

Winy Maas proposed a provocative and inspiring brief; he asked participants to redesign the cities of Rotterdam and New York in a way that everything is reachable within five minutes. A series of serious questions arise from the challenging brief: 'What will such a city look like? What happens to such an hypothesis if cars are the only mode of transport? What will such a city look like when it is only accessed by public transport? Or by walking?' How one can extend the knowledge of compact or dense cities? How fast cities can be? Is increased speed an ideal concept for future cities? Is development of new infrastructure sustainable for cities in future? Can Rotterdam become such a city? Is it possible to upscale Manhattan? How does mobility affects the working and living qualities of the cities and how is mobility shaping cities?

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.