The uncontrolled growth of cities during the last part of the twentieth century has created serious enviromental, economical and social problems, that nowadays exceed the local compass and affect to the planet as a whole. Searching solutions always requires an exhaustive knowledge of the reality that we want to transform, and in this precise case, it seems to be essential the understanding of the political, economical and social frame in which the present human settlements are located. Moreover, the knowledge and divulgation of the actions and experiences (called ‘Best Practices’), that nowadays are being implemented, can be very useful to get more sustainable cities.

This library encounters two basic aims:

• on the one hand it searches to gather documentation (most of it in spanish language) about all kind of actions and experiences in cities which have resulted in clear improvements of the living conditions and have had into account the sustainability in its wide sense (see Sobre el origen, el uso y el significado del término sostenible),
• on the other hand, it also wants to offer articles, reports and theorical papers about the current situation of the cities and the alternative actions that are being proposed.

The ‘foundational’ core is formed by the Practices nominated to the award for "Best Practices", that was organized by the United Nations in the context of the Second Conference on Human Settlements Habitat II, held in Istambul in June 1996.

Índice General

• 1 Library's Organization
• 2 Publishing policy
• 3 Sponsors
• 4 Staff
• 5 How to contact us

1 Library's Organization

In a general way, as it appears in the cover, the documentation is classified in several groups:

• Best Practices: This library contains several catalogues of experiencies and real practices in the human settlements that aimed (and aim) the environmental, economic and/or social sustainablity. There is a specific search service for Best Practices.
• The CF+S Bulletin: A quarterly publication that includes several articles, usually on a monographic item, as well as the contributions of our readers, letters, recommended books...
• Documents Besides, the Library gathers a selection of basic articles about sustanaibility related concepts, reports from experts on several subjects (social inclusion, transport and accesibility, city and environment, urban waste, bioclimatic urban planning), research documents...
• Permanent Sections: Aimed to build a reference place on issues related to sustainability.
  • Agenda: Information about courses, conferences and workshops all around the world about these items.
  • Internet: Catalogue of resources related to the city, the sustanibility and the environment.
  • Books: We can find a list of the books available in the library's headquarters as well as a topic classified bibliography and a compilation of the reviews published in the bulletins.
• The Search Service included in the server, is the basic tool that will help us find the articles or best practices we might find usefull at a certain moment.

2 Publishing policy

This server is opened to all kind of interesting contributions related to the library's aim. The Library also offers itself to be a meeting point for people and organizations interested in the problem that the obvious insustainability of the large modern cities creates.

This Library intends to be flexible in its policy, as the foundational philosophy of Internet is. The following patterns are of general application. We are preparing more specific rules about formats, process of admission, revision and discussion of documents. Additional rules could be necessary in the future.

1. Sending a document is considered actually as an explicit license of its authors to publish it, as well as an explicit acceptance of these rules. Anonimous document will not be published.
2. The Library is interested in updating documentation, especially that regarding to still ongoing experiences and practices. Authors and participants are encouraged to send any kind of recent information, as any correction on the published documentation. The articles, documents, letters, etc. published in any of the Library's separates, only express the author's ideas, and these may not be the sponsors' or the steering comitte's ideas.
3. The Library purposely allows the free difussion and use of the published documentation, on condition that its source is mentioned, and provided that there's no economic profit aim. The library thanks for the creation of links from any other web page in Internet.
4. The Library keeps the right of rebound some documents among the published information and making critics about them.
5. The Library gets the commitment with the authors of not to make any kind of trade with the documents without their permission.
6. The Library is addressed to Spanish speaking people and, in general, it publishes documents in Spanish language, but, if they are considered interesting, documents in any other language could be published. There are other documentation centers that can be consulted in our catalogue of Internet resources.
7. The editorial politic is explicitly austere: the typographic fonts have been selected in order to enhance that the Library can be consulted from the most simple browsers. The images will be included separated from the text, by virtue of a specfic link to the image's file.

3 Sponsors

The libray is sponsored by the ‘Ministerio de Vivienda del Reino España’ and by the ‘Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid’. Financial support by other institutions will be welcome.

The library wants to thank all the people who, without profit aim, allow the free distribution of their software by the terms of the General Public License and have thus made the real existence of this Internet server possible. The server is powered by the following software:

• Debian GNU/Linux
• Apache Internet Server
• Namazu Search Engine

The library also wants to thank the support provided by the ‘Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias’ (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces), and by the "think tank" of the Spanish Habitat Commitee, including the independent expertises group that work within it. At last, we would like to thank all the authors and participants of the published documents.

4 Staff

Steering Comitee:

• Agustín Hernández Aja. Architect. Lecturer at the Urbanism and Territory Planning Department in the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• Mariano Vázquez Espí. Architect. Lecturer at the Building Structures Department in the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid.

CF+S Commitee / Editorial Board:

• José Fariña Tojo. Architect. Urbanism and Territory Planning Professor in the Escuela Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• José Miguel Fernández Güell. Architect. Lecturer in the Escuela Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• Miguel Ángel Gálvez. Architect. Lecturer in the Escuela Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• Gloria Gómez Muñoz. Architect. Independent Expert.
• Margarita de Luxán García de Diego. Architect. Graphical Ideation Professor in the Escuela Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• Patricia Molina. Architect. Lecturer in the Escuela Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• Álvaro Sevilla Buitrago. Architect. Lecturer in the Escuela Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• Isabel Velázquez Valoria. Urbanist. Independent Expert.
• Carlos Verdaguer Viana-Cárdenas. Architect. Lecturer in the Escuela Técnica de Arquitectura de Madrid.

Coordination with the Ministry of Housing:

• Sonsoles González Fernández-Mellado. Topographer. Secretaría de Estado de Vivienda y Actuaciones Urbanas. Ministerio de Fomento.
• José Luis Nicolás. Sociologist. Secretaría de Estado de Vivienda y Actuaciones Urbanas. Ministerio de Fomento.

Edition Team:

• Library Editor:
  • Ana Sanz Fernández. Architect. Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid.
• Edition grant holders:
  • César Corrochano Barba. ETSAM.
  • Rebeca Fernández Yunquera. ETSAM.
  • Alejandro Rodríguez Sebastián. ETSAM.

The Translation Group of the Habitat Best Practices' Seventh Catalogue Dubai 2008:

• Coordination and check up:
  • Carlos Jiménez Romera.
• Translation:
  • Lucas Álvarez del Valle — Arrate Arizaga Villalba — Rodrigo Calvo López — Mario del Castillo Oyarzun — Rebeca Fernández Yunquera — David García Montes — Alejandro Manteca Sáez — Javier Muñoz Galán — Natalia Pérez González — Inés Quinteiro Antolín.

Acknowledgments

The Library would like to thank the following people:

The former members of the CF+S Comitee:

• Félix Arias Goytre — Jaime Cervera Bravo — María Cifuentes Ochoa — Marta García Nart.

The former members of the Edition Team:

• Teresa Asensio Gallego — Raquel Antízar Mogollón — Rodrigo Calvo López — Mireia Galindo Bragado — Ricardo García Moreno — Gloria Gómez Muñoz — Alberto Escudero Pascual — Adrián Masip Moriarty — Nerea Morán Alonso — Raquel Moreno López — Javier Moñivas Ramos — María Soledad Pascual Ortiz — Carlos Prados Cano — Natalia Rieznik Lamana — Almudena Sánchez Moya — Gonzalo Sánchez-Toscano Salgado — Alfonso Sánchez Uzábal — Ana Sanz Fernández — Álvaro Sevilla Buitrago — Susana Simón Tenorio — Carlos Villagrá.

The Translation Group of the Habitat Best Practices' First Catalogue Dubai 1996:

• Coordination and check up:
  • Isabel Velázquez Valoria — Lourdes Domingo Díez de Lastra.
• Translation:
  • Arantza Álvarez Zabala — María Cifuentes Ochoa — Lourdes Domingo Díez de Lastra — Yolanda Fernández Fernández — Gloria Gómez Muñoz — María Isabel Gómez Jiménez — Sylvia Mosquera Hernández — Marisol Pascual Ortiz — Nuria Rodríguez Toval — Carlos Verdaguer Viana-Cárdenas.

The Translation Group of the Habitat Best Practices' Second Catalogue Dubai 1998:

• Coordination and check up:
  • Carlos Verdaguer Viana-Cárdenas.
• Translation:
  • Ruth Acosta — María Cifuentes Ochoa — Esther Collado Quirantes — Lourdes Domingo Díez de Lastra — Aranzazu Galán — David García — Beatriz García Alba — Ricardo García Moreno — Gloria Gómez Muñoz — Carlos Jiménez Romera — Anna Moll — Marcos Montes — Nerea Morán Alonso — Carmen Nieto — Marian Simón Rojo — María Jesús Uzquiano.

The Translation Group of the Habitat Best Practices' Third Catalogue Dubai 2000:

• Coordination and check up:
  • Carlos Verdaguer Viana-Cárdenas.
• Translation:
  • Esther Anaya Boig — Ana Clavería — María Cifuentes Ochoa — Esther Collado Quirantes — Nerea Feliz — David García — Susana García-San Román Arcedillo — Cristina González Ruiz — Carlos Jiménez Romera — Miguel Luengo Angulo — Adrián Masip Moriarty — María Medrano — Patricia Molina Costa — Anna Moll Dexeus — Nerea Morán Alonso — Carmen Nieto Méndez — María Jesús Uzquiano Barbas.

The Translation Group of the Habitat Best Practices' Fourth Catalogue Dubai 2002:

• Coordination and check up:
  • Carlos Verdaguer Viana-Cárdenas.
• Check up:
  • María Cifuentes Ochoa — Carlos Jiménez Romera.
• Translation:
  • Carlos Alarcón — Rodrigo Calvo López — Lourdes Cárdenas — Ana Clavería — Esther Collado Quirantes — Rebeca Fernández Yunquera — David García Montes — Alejandro Gallego Lozano — Adrián Masip Moriarty — María Medrano — Patricia Molina Costa — Alberto Nanclares da Veiga — Carmen Nieto — Carmen Orgaz — David Torres Diéguez.

The Translation Group of the Habitat Best Practices' Fifth Catalogue Dubai 2004:

• Coordination and check up:
  • María Cifuentes Ochoa.
• Check up:
  • Carlos Jiménez Romera.
• Translation
  • Lucas Álvarez del Valle — Rodrigo Calvo López — Esther Collado Quirantes — Rebeca Fernández Yunquera — David García Montes — Alejandro Gallego Lozano — Luis Gorostiza Carabaño — Carlos Jiménez Romera — Adrián Masip Moriarty — Patricia Molina Costa — Anna Moll Dexeus — Elena Moreno — Javier Muñoz Galán — Alberto Nanclares da Veiga — Alba Rodríguez Illanes — Anamaya Salido Graña — Virginia Tartajo — David Torres Diéguez — Maria Jesús Uzquiano.

The Translation Group of the Habitat Best Practices' Sixth Catalogue Dubai 2006:

• Coordination and check up:
  • María Cifuentes Ochoa — Carlos Jiménez Romera.
• Translation:
  • Lucas Álvarez del Valle — Arrate Arizaga Villalba — María José Calle Arrabal — Rodrigo Calvo López — Eduardo Carrero Fernández — Mario del Castillo Oyarzun — Enrique Fernández Durán — Rebeca Fernández Yunquera — David García Montes — Alejandro Gallego Lozano — Alejandro González Rodríguez — Luis Gorostiza Carabaño — Alejandro Manteca Sáez — Paula Martínez Abascal — Adrián Masip Moriarty — Anna Moll Dexeus — Javier Muñoz Galán — Natalia Pérez González — Inés Quinteiro Antolín — Alba Rodríguez Illanes — David Torres Diéguez.

And who contributed with ‘obsolete’ hardware (still working):

• Marcos Montes García — Manu Vázquez Espí.

5 How to contact us

• By e-mail
• By postal mail:

  Biblioteca CIUDADES PARA UN FUTURO MÁS SOSTENIBLE
  Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid
  Av. Juan de Herrera, 4
  Madrid 28040
  España