This book and the accompanying CD-ROM provide a statement of our knowledge and understanding of engineering geology as applied to the urban environment at the start of the 21st century. In particular, this volume demonstrates that:

• working standards originally developed nationally are becoming internationalized;

• risk assessment, rather than just assessment of hazards, is driving decision-making;

• geo-environmental change, whether climatically or anthropogenically driven, is becoming better understood;

• greater use of underground space is being made;

• the relentless advance of information technology is providing new opportunities for engineering geologists to interpret and visualize the subsurface.

This book shows that in developed and developing countries alike, engineering geolgists are increasingly exchanging ideas and learning from each other in a genuine two-way process. These ideas will contribute significantly to the sustainable development of both new and long-established urban environments world-wide.