GIS for the Urban Environment focuses on the use of GIS in urban planning and problem solving, and is aimed at both large and small cities and metropolitan areas. It will be of interest to all students and practitioners who want to learn more about how they might apply GIS to their daily practices, be they in urban planning, public health, urban environmental assessment, hazard and emergency management, geographical analysis, or sustainable community development. It will become an essential text when setting out on what the authors call "the GIS adventure."

The book includes twelve chapters that introduce the elements and issues involved in using GIS, and it does so with a wide range of useful maps and illustrations. Each chapter in part I provides readers with a carefully chosen set of further readings, along with written exercises, and in part III, laboratory exercises. Students and practitioners will enjoy working through the individual chapters and exercises, and will find the twelve case studies of part II to be particularly valuable. The exercises and case studies present clear illustrations of GIS use across a wide range of contexts, providing readers with explicit examples of actual applications dealing with important issues in contemporary cities and urban regions. The authors have been able to link a rigorous presentation of GIS tools and approaches with a comprehensive text that is accessible, clearly written, and interesting to read, and with exercises to help students and practitioners learn and develop their skills and applications.

Required software: ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo 9 is required to complete the exercises in this book. Earlier software releases are not compatible. The CD-ROM included with this book contains the data used in the exercises.