|
Book review |
| The first 250 words of the full text of this article appear below. Images appear only in PDF or full-text views. |
Following within a year the first volume of a similar title (Nichol et al. 2004), Urban Geology in Wales: 2 balances coverage of the problems concerning redevelopment and regeneration of urban areas in formerly industrialized regions. This book presents a compilation of a further 31 papers concerning a wide variety of projects, arranged in three sections: ‘Urban Areas and Construction’, ‘Geohazards and Environmental Issues’ and ‘General Projects’, the latter ranging from wind farms through marine aggregates to flooding in the Severn Valley.
As with its predecessor, this volume provides a valuable compilation of case histories demonstrating a range of naturally occurring geohazards and geo-engineering responses, many of which significantly impinge on the local population. This is an exemplary publication for promoting the understanding of the impact of geology and the benefits that such knowledge can have on the economic and social well-being of communities. As such, it is a worthy successor to the companion Stone in Wales: Materials, Heritage and Conservation (Coulson 2005), which arose from the Welsh Stone Forum.
The geographical spread of case histories reflects the population distribution, with most lying within the South Wales Coalfield. It is pleasing to see coverage of some of the urban centres not covered in volume one, including Swansea and Bridgend. Although it's debateable if the Elan Valley reservoirs and aqueduct should fall within a volume concerning the urban geology of Wales, the provision of supplies to urban areas is clearly of importance and the centenary of
