World Future Society Book Store--Featured Book Review

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Featured Books

Brandscapes: Architecture in the Experience Economy
by Anna Klingmann. MIT Press. 2007. 378 pages.
Architect and critic Anna Klingmann argues that architecture can use the concepts and methods of branding as a strategic tool for economic and cultural transformation. Branding in architecture means the expression of identity, whether of an enterprise or a city; New York, Bilbao, and Shanghai have used architecture to enhance their images, generate economic growth, and elevate their positions in the global village. Klingmann looks at different kinds of brandscaping today, from Disneyland, Las Vegas, and Times Square—prototypes and case studies in branding—to Prada's superstar-architect-designed shopping epicenters and the banalities of Niketown. Check price/buy book

New & Noteworthy

Brandscapes
Capitalism as if the World Matters (Revised Edition)
The Design of Future Things
Electric Water
Energy in Nature and Society
55 Trends
Going Global
India Arriving
Jump the Curve
Plan B 3.0
Press On
The Really Hard Problem
Tribal Leadership
Tomorrow's Table

Energy in Nature and Society: General Energetics of Complex Systems
by Vaclav Smil. The MIT Press. 2008. 512 pages. Paperback.
Energy in Nature and Society is an analysis of all the major energy sources, storages, flows, and conversions that have shaped the evolution of the biosphere and civilization. Smil uses fundamental unifying metrics (most notably for power density and energy intensity) to provide an integrated framework for analyzing all segments of energetics (the study of energy flows and their transformations). The book concludes with an examination of general patterns, trends, and socioeconomic considerations of energy use today, looking at correlations between energy and value, energy and the economy, energy and quality of life, and energy futures. Check price/buy book