What we make and buy is a major indicator of society’s collective priorities. Among twenty-four key trends, Vital Signs Volume 22 explores significant global patterns in production and consumption. The result is a fascinating...
Books
152 pages
7 x 9.25
7 photos, 91 illustrations
How Cities are Moving Beyond Car-Based Planning
Cities will continue to accommodate the automobile, but when cities are built around them, the quality of human and natural life declines. Current trends show great promise for future urban mobility systems that enable freedom and connection, but...
320 pages
7 x 10
One 8-page color insert
The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future
The new Vital Signs 1998 gives you more than 100 charts, graphs and tables that show you the worldwide trends that are changing our lives, for better and for worse. It includes the latest data on critical global trends, presented in simple...
205 pages
7 x 9.25
The Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence
Are plants intelligent? Can they solve problems, communicate, and navigate their surroundings? Or are they passive, incapable of independent action or social behavior? Philosophers and scientists have pondered these questions since ancient Greece...
192 pages
5 x 8
20 illustrations
Parks and Wilderness, the Foundation for Conservation
Protected natural areas have historically been the primary tool of conservationists to conserve land and wildlife. These parks and reserves are set apart to forever remain in contrast to those places where human activities, technologies, and...
392 pages
6 x 9
Cultivating Our Parks, Plazas, and Streets for Healthier Cities
Plum and pear trees shade park benches in Kamloops, British Columbia. Tomatoes and cucumbers burst forth from planters at City Hall in Provo, Utah. Strawberries and carrots flourish along the sunny sidewalks of a Los Angeles neighborhood....
224 pages
5.5 x 8.25
29 photos, 4 illustrations
During his three terms as mayor of Curitiba, Brazil in the 1970s and ‘80s, architect and urbanist Jaime Lerner transformed his city into a global model of the sustainable and livable community. From the pioneering Bus Rapid Transit system...
160 pages
5.25 x 8.125
Full color, 42 photos, 3 illustrations
The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future
Vital Signs Volume 21 is all about growth. From natural disasters to cars to organic farming, the two dozen trends examined here indicate both increasing pressure on natural resources and scaled up efforts to live more sustainably. In...
152 pages
7 x 9.25
7 photos, 91 illustrations
Concern over climate change and the ongoing challenges of managing degraded ecosystems have made the field of ecological restoration a growing focus in the agendas of national and international conservation organizations, including the United...
320 pages
8 x 10
72 illustrations