Asian and Pacific Cities : Development Patterns

With a focus on 16 major cities across the Asia Pacific region, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, Apia, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Guadalajara, Auckland, Suva, Melbourne and Singapore, this book explores the varied development patterns of these metropolitan centres. Tracking and tracing economic and social trends, the contributors to this collection reveal how a wide range of political and cultural factors have interacted over time in order to shape and produce the diverse characteristics of the cities in the region.

The cities of Asia and the Pacific are at the epicentre of development in what is arguably, the most populous, culturally distinctive, and economically powerful region in the world. 16 major cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Santiago, located in countries as diverse as Mexico and Vietnam, Samoa and India, China and Australia, exemplify the changing patterns of development across this vast region of the world.

By tracking economic and social trends the contributors to this collection reveal how a wide range of political and cultural factors have interacted over time to provide a powerful explanation for the shape and characteristics of ‘the city’ today. Based on a collaborative research programme and drawing on the work of local researchers, this book examines the realities of city development characterised by domestic migration, spatial and social fragmentation, squatter settlements and gated communities, economic experiments and the emergence of the ‘Asian Tigers’. The collection as a whole records the way in which countries in this region have moved from underdevelopment to become global economic and political powers.

This book provides a fascinating journey through Asia and the Pacific by generating an insiders’ view of each city and an insight into national development. As such it will be of great interest to students and scholars interested in: the Asian and Pacific region; in disciplines such as economics, politics, geography and sociology; and in policy domains such as urban planning and economic development.