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Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint.We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission.

Objective: The OptiBIRTH intervention was developed to enhance women-centred care for pregnant women who had had one previous caesarean section. Firstly, systematic reviews and focus group interviews with clinicians and women were carried out. Another systematic review focused on computer-based behavioural change interventions informed the design of an online component of the OptiBIRTH intervention, which was then tested in the trial to assess its impact on the VBAC rate in the German sites, as well as on interventions and events during labour. Methods: A cluster randomised trial (ISRCTN10612254) was carried out in 15 sites in three European countries (Ireland, Italy, Germany). The German part of the study was led by the Midwifery Research and Education Unit at Hannover Medical School (MiREdU). The participating sites were Buergerhospital Frankfurt, Diakovere Krankenhaus Henriettenstift Hannover, Klinikum Dritter Orden Muenchen, University hospital Wuppertal, and Hannover Medical School. The sites were randomly allocated into three intervention and two control sites. Recruitment of women took place between May 2014 and October 2015. Main international analysis was performed by Queen's University Belfast. Intranational comparisons in Germany were performed by MiREdU using descriptive statistics. Data of the baseline rate came from 2012 compared with data from 2015, which is an interim analysis pending the final comparison to 2016. Results: Overall, there was no statistically significant difference in the change in the proportion of women having a VBAC between 2012 and 2015 in the intervention sites compared to the controls. Although there were significant changes in Italy and Ireland, there were none in Germany. The 2015 VBAC rates in the German sites showed an increase compared to baseline (2012) in one intervention site (+1.0%) and in one control site (+3.2%) but decreases in the three other sites (-0.1, -6.2 and -10.1%). Regarding German OptiBIRTH participants, th

The book addresses urban transformations towards sustainability in light of challenges of global urbanization processes and the consequences of global environmental change. The aim is to show that urban transformations only succeed if both innovative scientific solutions and practice-oriented governance approaches are developed. This assumption is addressed by providing theoretical insights and empirical evidence pointing particularly at 3 concepts or qualities which are determined here as being central for achieving urban sustainability: resource efficiency, quality of life and resilience. Urban case studies from several international research projects illustrate our conceptual approach of urban transformations towards sustainable development. Thus, the book reaches far beyond a mere additive description of single case studies. It incorporates the results of condensed synthesis, resulting from comparisons and evaluations. It provides, based on cross-cutting reflection of single cases and different scales and methods of analysis, general and transferable findings. They do not only consider the scientific sphere but deliberately go beyond it discussing transferability of knowledge into practice, governance options and the feasibility of policy strategies in order to pave the way for sustainable urban transformations to happen today and in the future.

The book addresses urban transformations towards sustainability in light of challenges of global urbanization processes and the consequences of global environmental change. The aim is to show that urban transformations only succeed if both innovative scientific solutions and practice-oriented governance approaches are developed. This assumption is addressed by providing theoretical insights and empirical evidence pointing particularly at 3 concepts or qualities which are determined here as being central for achieving urban sustainability: resource efficiency, quality of life and resilience. Urban case studies from several international research projects illustrate our conceptual approach of urban transformations towards sustainable development. Thus, the book reaches far beyond a mere additive description of single case studies. It incorporates the results of condensed synthesis, resulting from comparisons and evaluations. It provides, based on cross-cutting reflection of single cases and different scales and methods of analysis, general and transferable findings. They do not only consider the scientific sphere but deliberately go beyond it discussing transferability of knowledge into practice, governance options and the feasibility of policy strategies in order to pave the way for sustainable urban transformations to happen today and in the future.

The book addresses urban transformations towards sustainability in light of challenges of global urbanization processes and the consequences of global environmental change. The aim is to show that urban transformations only succeed if both innovative scientific solutions and practice-oriented governance approaches are developed. This assumption is addressed by providing theoretical insights and empirical evidence pointing particularly at 3 concepts or qualities which are determined here as being central for achieving urban sustainability: resource efficiency, quality of life and resilience. Urban case studies from several international research projects illustrate our conceptual approach of urban transformations towards sustainable development. Thus, the book reaches far beyond a mere additive description of single case studies. It incorporates the results of condensed synthesis, resulting from comparisons and evaluations. It provides, based on cross-cutting reflection of single cases and different scales and methods of analysis, general and transferable findings. They do not only consider the scientific sphere but deliberately go beyond it discussing transferability of knowledge into practice, governance options and the feasibility of policy strategies in order to pave the way for sustainable urban transformations to happen today and in the future.

The book addresses urban transformations towards sustainability in light of challenges of global urbanization processes and the consequences of global environmental change. The aim is to show that urban transformations only succeed if both innovative scientific solutions and practice-oriented governance approaches are developed. This assumption is addressed by providing theoretical insights and empirical evidence pointing particularly at 3 concepts or qualities which are determined here as being central for achieving urban sustainability: resource efficiency, quality of life and resilience. Urban case studies from several international research projects illustrate our conceptual approach of urban transformations towards sustainable development. Thus, the book reaches far beyond a mere additive description of single case studies. It incorporates the results of condensed synthesis, resulting from comparisons and evaluations. It provides, based on cross-cutting reflection of single cases and different scales and methods of analysis, general and transferable findings. They do not only consider the scientific sphere but deliberately go beyond it discussing transferability of knowledge into practice, governance options and the feasibility of policy strategies in order to pave the way for sustainable urban transformations to happen today and in the future.

Natural hazards, such as floods, droughts, heat waves, avalanches, etc., have severe societal impacts. This is not only, but in particular, the case in cities, where people and assets concentrate, and hence, the values at risk and potential damages accumulate (Rink et al. 2015). As a consequence of urban growth and climate change, these risks are likely to increase in many cities in the future, confronting urban decision makers with the question of whether their current portfolio of risk management options is sufficient or if more radical urban transformations are necessary to mitigate the societal impacts of natural hazards.

Interest in urban ecosystem services has grown steadily over recent years (Haase et al. 2014), with politics promoting the enhancement of ecosystem service provision in urban areas (e.g. DG Environment 2012). Indeed, the increasing share of humans living in urban areas worldwide and environmental threats such as climate change urge us to consider ways to maintain and improve the well-being of urban dwellers. In this context, ecosystem services, which are the benefits humans receive from ecosystems (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005b), are a promising supplement to technical solutions.

Looking at future trends in urbanization, with more than two thirds of the world’s population living in cities by the 2050s (UN 2014), and at global trends of climate change, heat waves are expected to become more frequent and more intense in cities (Perkins et al. 2012). This calls particularly for local adaptation strategies to anticipate the consequences in urban areas.