People are filthy creatures, and any well-planned city should take this into account. The Challenges of Urban Ecological Sanitation discusses urban planning and the role that improving sanitation plays in achieving community harmony. Focusing on the projects of Erdos Eco-Town Project, a city in Inner Mongolia, China, the authors present an educated and insightful lesson on taking improvements and a better example for future projects. "The Challenges of Urban Ecological Sanitation" is a strongly recommended addition to urban planning and social issues collections.
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- James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief , Library Bookwatch

"In this crucial text for researchers and professionals interested in "development", the contributors make a compelling case for the need to consider how key words and phrases, such as "citizenship," "empowerment," "human rights," and "peace building" are use (and abused) by individuals and institutions." Summing Up: Highly Recommended"
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- Choice

"These 15 excellent anthropological case studies (plus introduction and conclusion) on climate change and diverse responses from communities in Africa, and the Americas utilize a variety of methodologies, ranging from standard ethnographic approaches and ethno-ecological investigations of localized knowledge, perception, and innovation to an archaeological examination of Mayan farming practices. The researchers emphasize the knowledge, capacities, interests, rights, agency, and adaptability of threatened populations of farmers, hearders, fishers, and foragers under conditions resulting from extreme and unpredictable weather, drought, floods, and population shifts. In addition to documenting environmental changes faced by communities at risk the authors point out that the peopole who are the most vulnerable are generally those lease responsible for their present circumstances. Indeed environmental difficulties are not simply consequences of climate change, but also are exacerbated by policies that have favored market liberalization, technological determinism, and structural inequality, resulting in increased socioeconomic injustice and greater cultural marginalization. A more participatory approach, rather than top-down policies that have typified most efforts to integrate local populations into development efforts, may provide greater opportunities for recognizing local innovativeness and expanding the possibility that others may learn valuable lessons from threatened communities."
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- B. Tavakolian, Emeritus, Denison Univeristy , Choice

"Duncan Green uses numerous case studies to demonstrate this book is not merely an academic textbook but a manual for real, practical and lasting social change."

- Andrew Dodgshon , Tribune