This book considers urbanization in Asia and presents case studies of sustainable development "best practice" from 12 Asian countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Urbanization occurs in tandem with development. Countries in Southeast Asia need to build - individually and collectively - the capacity of their cities and towns to promote economic growth and development, to make urban development more sustainable, to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and to ensure that all groups in society share in the development. This book is a result of a series of regional discussions by experts and practitioners involved in the urban and planning of their countries. It highlights urbanization issues that have implications for regional - including ASEAN - cooperation, and provides practical recommendations for policymakers. It is a first step towards assisting governments in the region to take advantage of existing collaborative partnerships to address the urban transformation that Southeast Asia is experiencing today.

With Asia’s cities undergoing unprecedented growth in the 21st century, lauded the ‘urban century’ by many, Sustainable Cities in Asia provides a timely examination of the challenges facing cities across the continent including some of the projects, approaches and solutions that are currently being tested. This book uses numerous case studies, analysing topical issues ranging from city cycling in India, to green spaces in China, to the use of community-led energy generation projects in post-Fukushima Japan. Containing contributions from an international team of scholars, it also takes a multi-disciplinary approach and draws on examples from a wide range of countries, including China, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Ultimately, by providing a comprehensive discussion of the broader debates around the shape of sustainable urbanism, it demonstrates that Asia is one of the most active regions in terms of the development of sustainable city strategies. Tackling the contemporary issues of key importance for sustainability, such as property markets, migration and transport, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Urban Geography, Sustainability, Environmental Studies and Asian studies.

The study of urbanization in Southeast Asia has been a growing field of research over the past decades. The Routledge Handbook of Urbanization in Southeast Asia offers a collection of the major streams and themes in the studies of the cities in the region. A focus on the urbanization process rather than the city as an object opens the topic more broadly to bring together different perspectives. This timely handbook presents these diverse views to build a clearer understanding of theoretical contributions of urban studies in Southeast Asia and to provide a complete collection of scholarly works that are thematically structured and a useful tool for teaching urbanization in Southeast Asia. Following the introduction by the editor, the handbook is structured along central, emerging themes. It contains six parts, which are each introduced by the editor: Theorizing Urbanization in Southeast Asia Migration, Networks and Identities Development and Discontents Environmental Governance The Social Production of the Urban Fabric Social Change and Alternative Development This handbook will be an essential reference work for scholars interested in Urban Studies, cities and urbanization in Asia, and Southeast Asian Studies.

First published in 2000, this volume explores how Asia has developed very rapidly in the last quarter of the century and will be a main focus of the world in the 21st century. With rapid growth and development, the urban areas in the region are undergoing dramatic changes. An appreciation of the heterogeneous nature of Asian cities and the related planning practices in the first step to understand various urban development problems in the region. This book is a consolidated effort by prominent scholars in Asian planning schools to explore urban development and planning practices in Asia. The book reflects on and examines some of the past and current challenges, and considers future prospects of urban and regional planning, environment, housing, redevelopment and conservation, and planning education in Asia. This book should be useful to students, teachers, researchers, professionals and people who are interested in urban development, planning and environment in Asia.

This book examines urbanization and migration processes in South Asia. By analyzing the socio-economic impacts and infrastructural, environmental and institutional aspects of different conurbations, it highlights conflicts over agricultural land as well as the effects on health, education, poverty and the welfare of children, women and old people. The authors also explore issues of mobility; connectivity and accessibility of public services, and discuss the effective use of new urban-management tools, such as the concept of smart cities and urban spatial monitoring.

In this book, an interdisciplinary research group of faculty members, researchers, professionals, and planners contributed to an understanding of the dynamics and dimensions of emerging challenges and risks in megacities in the rapidly changing urban environments in Asia and examined emerging resilience themes from the point of view of sustainability and public policy. The world’s urban population in 2009 was approximately 3.4 billion and Asia’s urban population was about 1.72 billion. Between 2010 and 2020, 411 million people will be added to Asian cities (60 % of the growth in the world’s urban population). By 2020, of the world’s urban population of 4.2 billion, approximately 2.2 billion will be in Asia. China and India will contribute 31.3 % of the total world urban population by 2025. Developing Asia’s projected global share of CO2 emissions for energy consumption will increase from 30 % in 2006 to 43 % by 2030. City regions serve as magnets for people, enterprise, and culture, but with urbanisation , the worst form of visible poverty becomes prominent. The Asian region, with a slum population of an estimated 505.5 million people, remains host to over half of the world’s slum population . The book provides information on a comprehensive range of environmental threats faced by the inhabitants of megacities. It also offers a wide and multidisciplinary group of case studies from rapidly growing megacities (with populations of more than 5 million) from developed and developing countries of Asia.

This book aims to present implications for China’s urban development through international comparison of urbanization process from the perspective of spatio-temporal pattern, driving factors, rural-urban interactions, development trends and economic-ecological-social synergic development. Followed the research hotspot of the international urban studies, this book identifies challenges and opportunities in the process of urban development through analyzing and comparing urbanization pathways of several Asian countries as for representatives. It provides both decision support for China’s urban development and management, and scientific support for the sustainable urban development in Asian countries.

Urban Disasters and Resilience in Asia presents the latest information on the intensity and frequency of disasters. Specifically, the fact that, in urban areas, more than 50% of the world's population is living on just 2% of the land surface, with most of these cities located in Asia and developing countries that have high vulnerability and intensification. The book offers an in-depth and multidisciplinary approach to reducing the impact of disasters by examining specific evidence from events in these areas that can be used to develop best practices and increase urban resilience worldwide. As urban resilience is largely a function of resilient and resourceful citizens, building cities which are more resilient internally and externally can lead to more productive economic returns. In an era of rapid urbanization and increasing disaster risks and vulnerabilities in Asian cities, Urban Disasters and Resilience in Asia is an invaluable tool for policy makers, researchers, and practitioners working in both public and private sectors. - Explores a broad range of aspects of disaster and urban resiliency, including environmental, economic, architectural, and engineering factors - Bridges the gap between urban resilience and rural areas and community building - Provides evidence-based data that can lead to improved disaster resiliency in urban Asia - Focuses on Asian cities, some of the most densely populated areas on the planet, where disasters are particularly devastating

Systems of transportation long ago developed out of the profound human need to connect and communicate. Transport today is still the only means for the physical movement of goods and people. Alongside the evolution of transportation and communication technologies, the astounding phenomenon of urbanization has taken place. Cities have grown faster and larger, absorbing vast influxes of dwellers who seek convenient and comfortable lifestyles with the required fast, cheap, and safe systems of transport. Of the world's megacities, with populations of more than ten million, over half are in Asia. While enjoying large-scale economic power, Asian megacities also face serious challenges. They suffer from too-rapid urbanization, with the resulting congestion, pollution, and destruction of traditional local cultures and industries. Written by experts from Asian academic institutes, this book addresses the urgent question of how to achieve sustainability in the still-growing cities of Asia. The chapters comprise the latest research and the application of promising measures, some already realized in Asia, that include urban transport system design and management, land-use control, city planning, and sustainability. Of vast import, this volume was written for students and researchers, planners and engineers, and all who are interested in sustainable urban environments. Following is the structure and rough sketch of the contents of this book: Part I, "The First Step: An Overview" deals with Asian characteristics from natural, cultural, and economic viewpoints, and then describes how we should grasp the concept of urban sustainability in urban transport in Asia. Readers will understand various aspects of Asia as introductory and preparatory knowledge. Part II, "Best Practices from Asia with Wisdom: Keys to Success and Facing Limitations" will introduce actual comparatively successful and promising measures tried and realized in Asia. This part covers various cases from passenger transport to freight transport, from transport system design to system management, from engineering measures to people's participation, from traffic control to land-use control and site development. Readers will find an abundance of information and examples in this main part of the book. Part III, "Future of Urban Transport in Asia: Rising Asia Proposes to the World" discusses key issues and hot topics of study on sustainable city and transport for the future: development and management, travel demand management, growth management, site development strategies, and financial and institutional measures.