If I lived in a romantic castle atop a mountain, periodically I would charge around flinging open windows to let in light and air, and to gain inspiration from the glorious views around. This book is the castle. It is time to open those windows [ten of them today] and see our subject in broader challenging, delightfully diverse perspectives.

These big-picture frameworks for urban regions and natural systems are presented in three heterogeneous groups, though each of the ten broad perspectives stands on its own.

1. (1) The first group of big pictures, Garden-to-gaia; Urban sustainability; Disasters, highlights our major spatial arrangements with nature, plus the periodic disruptions.

2. (2) The second group, Climate change; Species extinction; Water scarcity, represents the gathering giant environmental challenges.

3. (3) The third group, Big-ideas–regulations–treaties–policy–governance; Megacities; Sense of place, brings strong social and cultural connections to the forefront.

The final section, Awakening to the urban tsunami, attempts to identify the giants lying just over the horizon, and discover the best route ahead for us and for the land.

Garden-to-gaia, urban sustainability, disasters

These three challenging perspectives highlight the roles of spatial scale and critical linkages across the land in developing solutions for urban regions. The third topic, the dreaded overnight catastrophe of particular importance to urban regions, pinpoints disruptive forces that must be accounted for in societal solutions.

Garden to gaia

Most of us can relate to a tiny garden at home, digging, planting, weeding, watching, harvesting, and eating with special pleasure.