Planning for a Better Urban Living Environment in Asia

ASIA IS HOME to over 40 per cent of the world’s urban population and has its share of urban problems – including environmental degradation, housing shortages and traffic congestion. This book is an effort by Asian planners to look at urban development and planning challenges. The 19 chapters taken together assume little prior knowledge and provide a good overview of the complexity of the problems. The chapters are grouped by themes relating to the environment, housing, urban and regional planning, conservation and redevelopment, and planning education.

Two chapters place pedestrians at the centre of concern. Seven chapters are devoted to housing. One describes how a plan in South Korea to relieve the housing problem affected the housing market and the macro economy. Another focuses on increasing the affordability of housing to lower-income households without increasing the level of expenditure. Two chapters explore the unique socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of particular countries. Several chapters look at specific case studies, for instance, Chapter 17 describes the conversion of a nobleman’s residence in Indonesia to a residential community, providing a solution to meeting social needs within an evolving economy while keeping intact traditional Javanese architecture. The focus of the last three chapters is on planning education in Asia. Arguments raised and supported throughout the book stress that Asian planners and educators must acknowledge and address the unique local context.