Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

Rivers are one of nature's most vital energy sources, and their power can be efficiently harnessed through the construction of dams. But now dams have become a controversial engine in the race toward technological advancement, so much so that the World Commission on Dams convened in 1998 to debate the issue. Are dams a help to society or an agent of environmental destruction? Trevor Turpin explores the answers to that question here in his comprehensive historical chronicle.

Among the most amazing feats of human engineering, a dam can sustain societies in a multitude of ways, as 40,000 of them around the world provide such things as electricity, water for farms and cities, and canals for boat navigation. Turpin traces their development, design, and consequences from the Industrial Revolution to now, examining edifices in China, Las Vegas, and places in between. The often contentious debate between environmentalists, architects, and engineers, Dam shows, is a complex one that pits the benefits of dams against the long-term ecological health of nations.

Neither a polemic against dams nor a defense of their proliferation, Dam offers a judicious and in-depth account of this cornerstone of our modern age.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Introduction(p. 7)
• 1 Dam as Symbol and Function(p. 16)
• 2 Dam Designers and Builders(p. 57)
• 3 Dam Beauty and Dam Proud(p. 106)
• 4 Dam Failure(p. 140)
• 5 Dam Angry(p. 170)
• 6 What Environment?(p. 203)
• Postscript(p. 233)
• Glossary(p. 236)
• References(p. 239)
• Select Bibliography(p. 249)
• Acknowledgements(p. 250)
• Photographic Acknowledgements(p. 251)
• Index(p. 252)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

With the current movement toward dam removals in the Western world, it is interesting to see a book that treats dams as buildings of particular significance. This book's approach is not technical, but historical. It presents dams under different perspectives: as symbols of dominance, works of designers, and objects of beauty. It also covers dam failures and the recent backlash against dams. Turpin, a professional with more than 30 years of experience in environmental assessment and management, presents and describes dams all over the world, with particular emphasis on dams in the UK and the US. The book includes a large number of photographs and drawings of dams. Turpin is the coauthor of Environmental Impact Assessment (2002). Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and undergraduate and graduate students in environmental policy, history, and civil engineering. E. Gomezdelcamp Bowling Green State University

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Trevor Turpin is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Bath.