Urbanization and Development in Asia: Multi-dimensional Perspectives

In this analysis of migration, urbanization and globalization in Asia, detailed research findings are combined with discussions of the cities’ ongoing political and socio-cultural transformations. The collection highlights the need for interdisciplinary perspectives on urbanization and poverty, with contributors ranging from development economists to architects, urban planners and geographers.

Following the editors’ Introduction, Part II discusses globalization in Bangalore, Shanghai and other Asian cities before analyzing migration in Part III using case studies from Chinese and Japanese cities. Part IV examines various facets of urban governance, including fiscal decentralization in Indonesia and China’s need for improved land use and transit planning. Part V focuses on women in Indian cities, while Part VI, on infrastructure, explores residents’ perceptions of piped water in peri-urban Vietnam and the unmet shelter needs among the Philippines’ urban poor.

Amitabh and Debolina Kundu (Chapter 2) suggest that urbanization rates are decelerating in many Asian nations and migrants are often denied entry to cities or can barely afford housing and amenities. Deljana Iossifova examines city dwellers’ evolving understanding of place in Shanghai by comparing the cognitive maps and sense of identity among rural migrants, urban newcomers and long-term residents (Chapter 4).

China’s inefficient transport and land use planning strategies are explored by Douglas Webster et al., who urge reforms such as establishing growth boundaries, greater variance in floor area ratios (FAR), reduced municipal incentives for over-release of land, and coordinated land use and transit system interest planning (pages 196−198). Margherita Comola and Luiz de Mello offer a brief discussion of the impacts of fiscal decentralization on Indonesia’s urbanization patterns (Chapter 9). They examine how rural and urban population growth were affected after Indonesia decentralized minimum-wage-setting powers in 2001, using data from household and labour market surveys at the local government level. Rural population size was unaffected by rising wages but the authors found that increasing the minimum wage in cities by 25 per cent of its initial mean value was associated with a 0.4 per cent rise in urban population (holding other factors constant).

There are two chapters on women in Indian cities. Bipasha Baruah discusses women’s inequitable access to land in Ahmedabad, before advocating a multi-pronged response that encompasses joint titles to land, issuing electricity bills and tax documents to women, improved access to credit, public awareness campaigns and working with men to advance gender equity. The benefits of slum upgrading are also explored, including its “strong dignifying effect” for women involved in household or community management activities. In comparing women’s status and child health in rural vs. urban areas, Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis and K S James uncover several notable findings. According to India’s 2005−2006 National Family Health Surveys in eight major states, rural children are more likely to be stunted than children in urban areas (both slum and non-slum residents). However, other nutritional measures are not significantly different between rural and urban areas, suggesting India’s high prevalence of nutritional deficiencies that cut across residence, class and gender divides (page 283). The authors also note that urban women (in slum and non-slum areas) are more likely to engage in household decision-making and less likely to experience sexual or emotional violence than their rural counterparts. As well as arguing for new indicators to capture women’s empowerment, the authors argue that slum dwellers’ living conditions still require improvement so “…the positive externalities of urban dwelling on women’s status and child health can be more fully enjoyed” (page 284).