Building liveable cities in Asia in the twenty-first century research and policy challenges for the urban future of Asia

Abstract

This article focuses on the central question of what kind of urban places need to be developed in Asia to satisfy the requirements of sustainability and livability over the next fifty years. The paper argues that the fact that Asia which contains almost 60 per cent of the world’s population and is presently engaged in engaged in a rapid phase of the urban transition that will involve the addition of more than a billion people to urban places over the next fifty years means it imperative that urban policies be developed that will create urban places that are sustainable and livable. Yet there is at present there is a contradiction between the “developmentalist “policies of many states that give priority at the is phase of development to the material and economic functions of urban places arguing that policies for sustainability and livability can be introduced at a later phase. The paper further argues that an increased understanding of the processes underlying urban trends in the 21st century suggests that it is not impossible for the “developmental” and “sustainability” visions to be introduced at the same time. This strategic vision rests upon the development of research that will increase the understanding of this process. Five main research clusters are identified that focus on (1) the understanding of the reconfiguration of extended urban spaces, (2) the increasing functional integration of extended urban spaces, (3) recognizing the importance of the urban fringes (desakota) in the ecosystems of extended urban spaces. (4) developing comparative research on the policy responses to the challenges of extended urban spaces and, (5) developing comparative research on the governance and management of extended urban spaces. The conclusion of the article suggests that in the light of the preceding discussion it is possible to imagine two very different futures for the cities of Asia