"A collection of essays examining how patterns of use and attitudes to green spaces within Penn's city plan and along the Schuylkill informed notions of place from the time of Philadelphia's founding to the formation of the modern Fairmount Park system in the mid-19th century"--Provided by publisher.

The electrical grid goes everywhere-it's the largest and most complex machine ever made. Yet the system is built in such a way that the bigger it gets, the more inevitable its collapse. Named the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century by the National Academy of Engineering, the electrical grid is the largest industrial investment in the history of humankind. It reaches into your home, snakes its way to your bedroom, and climbs right up into the lamp next to your pillow. At times, it almost seems alive, like some enormous circulatory system that pumps life to big cities and the most remote rural areas. Constructed of intricately interdependent components, the grid operates on a rapidly shrinking margin for error. Things can-and do-go wrong in this system, no matter how many preventive steps we take. Just look at the colossal 2003 blackout, when 50 million Americans lost power due to a simple error at a power plant in Ohio; or the one a month later, which blacked out 57 million Italians. And these two combined don't even compare to the 2001 outage in India, which affected 226 million people. The Grid is the first history of the electrical grid intended for general readers, and it comes at a time when we badly need such a guide. As we get more and more dependent on electricity to perform even the most mundane daily tasks, the grid's inevitable shortcomings will take a toll on populations around the globe. At a moment when energy issues loom large on the nation's agenda and our hunger for electricity grows, The Grid is as timely as it is compelling.

This book focuses on electric grids and tells the stories about two villages separated by time, connected by proximity, and united by the challenges of maintaining a community under duress. It provides a glimpse of what it took to build the kind of grids that made America, the grids which connect people to one another, and is told through the experiences of some of the people who sacrificed the most to build the grids.

Off-grid isn’t a state of mind. It isn’t about someone being out of touch, about a place that is hard to get to, or about a weekend spent offline. Off-grid is the property of a building (generally a home but sometimes even a whole town) that is disconnected from the electricity and the natural gas grid. To live off-grid, therefore, means having to radically re-invent domestic life as we know it, and this is what this book is about: individuals and families who have chosen to live in that dramatically innovative, but also quite old, way of life. This ethnography explores the day-to-day lives of people in each of Canada’s provinces and territories living off the grid. Vannini and Taggart demonstrate how a variety of people, all with different environmental constraints, live away from contemporary civilization. The authors also raise important questions about our social future and whether off-grid living creates an environmentally and culturally sustainable lifestyle practice. These homes are experimental labs for our collective future, an intimate look into unusual contemporary domestic lives, and a call to the rest of us leading ordinary lives to examine what we take for granted. This book is ideal for courses on the environment and sustainability as well as introduction to sociology and introduction to cultural anthropology courses.

The effects of climate change, rapid urbanization, and aging infrastructure challenge water policymakers to confront a radical paradigm shift in water resources utilization. Recent advances in sensing, networking, processing, and control have provided the means for sustainable solutions in water management, and their implementation in water infrastructures is collectively referred to as "smart water grids." Smart water grids depend upon cyber-physical system principles to effectively respond to issues regarding the scalability and reliability of dynamic and inaccessible environments. As such, unique smart water grid issues associated with front-end signal processing, communication, control, and data analysis must be jointly addressed, while sophisticated techniques for data analytics must be introduced into cyber-physical systems research. This book provides a thorough description of the best practices for designing and implementing cyber-physical systems that are tailored to different aspects of smart water grids. It is organized into three distinct, yet complementary areas, namely: the theory behind water-oriented cyber-physical systems with an emphasis on front-end sensing and processing, communication technologies, and learning techniques over water data; the applications and emerging topics of cyber-physical systems for water urban infrastructures, including real-life deployments, modern control tools, and economic aspects for smart water grids; and the applications and emerging topics across natural environments, emphasizing the evolution of fresh water resources. The structured discussion yields a rich, comprehensive body of knowledge on this emerging topic of research and engineering. As water issues intensify on a global scale, this book offers an algorithmic and practical toolkit for intermediate and advanced readers as well as professionals and researchers who are active in, or interested in, learning more about smart water grids. Key Features: Emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of this emerging topic, covering both theoretical and practical aspects of this area while providing insights on existing deployments, which can serve as design examples for new applications. Explores how modern signal processing and machine learning techniques can contribute and enrich the potential of smart water grids, well beyond conventional closed-loop control techniques. Highlights complementary aspects that will help shape the future of smart water grids, such as consumption awareness, economic aspects, and control tools in industrial water treatment as well as the impact of climate change on fresh water resources. Enables the reader to better understand this emerging topic, investing in current state-of-the-art and future technological roadmaps for smart water grids.

Unveiling the Ultimate Guide to Self-Sufficient Living "Off the Grid" As the world spins at a dizzying pace, there's an alluring path less taken—one that leads to freedom, peace, and a harmonious bond with the earth. The clarion call to an autonomous existence whispers through the pages of "Off the Grid," the comprehensive tome for those yearning to reshape their reality and embark on the quintessential off-grid journey. Unearth the Essence of Off-Grid Living Dive deep into the heart of true independence. "Off the Grid" illuminates the profound principles of life unchained from the modern grind, empowering you with the knowledge to craft a sanctuary that thrives in synergy with nature's rhythm. Forge Your Path, Piece by Piece From the cradle of design to the final touches of a self-reliant abode, uncover the secrets to architecting an eco-friendly home that stands as a testament to sustainable innovation. Explore pioneering water systems, green energy sources, and ingenious waste management solutions designed for lasting self-sufficiency. Harvest the Bounty of the Land Learn to coax life from the soil and revel in the fruits of your labor. "Off the Grid" guides you through the steps to achieve food independence, from the magic of seed propagation to the timeless arts of foraging, preserving, and holistic livestock care. Weave the Fabric of Community Transcend the notion of solitude – engage with a tapestry of like-minded souls to create a resilient network of support and exchange. Discover how barter economies and shared knowledge can enrich your off-grid life beyond measure. Confront Challenges with Confidence No path is without its stones; "Off the Grid" equips you with strategies to face modern-day obstacles—climate change, legal barriers, and technology dependence—while maintaining your autonomous ethos. Embrace Life's Cycles and Celebrate Your Story As each season unfolds its unique gifts, adapt and flourish within the cyclical dance of the natural world. "Off the Grid" invites you to treasure every sun cycle with sacred rituals, and to let your life’s journey be a beacon for future generations seeking harmony with Earth. A Treasure Trove of Real-Life Inspiration Feel the courage of those who have walked the trail before you through the vibrant tapestry of experiences shared within. From triumphs to trials, let their stories kindle the fire of your aspiration. Embark on this all-encompassing odyssey to reclaim your existence. "Off the Grid" is not just a book; it's a manifesto for the soul that craves freedom, meaning, and a sustainable legacy. Cast away the anchor of convention and set sail on the tranquil seas of a self-determined life—your epic adventure awaits. Now available—let "Off the Grid" be your trusted compass to a life rediscovered.

This is the first collection of interdisciplinary scholarship to expand on gridded modalities, with a strong affinity to the arts. It seeks to inspire new avenues of research by exploring a horizon of gridded relationships among humans, between humans and the environment, and between human and non-human actors. By bringing together philosophical themes and applied practices, the volume traces a genealogy of the "grid" as an exercise in grasping its inherent complexity and incomplete quality. A collective effort by a group of researchers, practitioners, and designers, it promotes an understanding of gridded modalities as complex networks that interact with other networks, generating new meanings and reflecting changes in thought.