The Asian Megacity Region

Book excerpt: This book argues that close and disciplined scrutiny of the Asian megacity regions is of critical importance to understanding Asian urbanization. However, any approach to studying these regions must adopt a multi-dimensional and trans-urban perspective; otherwise, we Without such an approach, we cannot truly make meaningful decisions about growth management and sustainable development for such regions. Amidst the sweeping demographic and structural shifts produced by global urbanization, Asian urbanization has a fascinating and prominent role. Asian urbanization is heterogeneous, and more accurately constitutes “phenomena” than a “phenomenon.” However, despite this diversity, there are certain common features that we can identify. One of them is the Asian “megacity region”— the administrative and/or delineated territory of mixed urban-rural landscape surrounding a giant metropolis. The purpose of this book is to: Understand the main features of 21st century urbanization Note the limitations of current approaches (e.g. disparate scales, city-centric views, inadequate data sets) Articulate a pragmatically framed three-pronged approach (scale-based, trans-urban, multi-dimensional) Demonstrate the application of such an approach with a case study of one of the most important megacity regions in South Asia, the Delhi National Capital Region, underscoring the methodological requirements of such an approach Discuss the next steps for the field as a whole: questions to be raised and directions to be explored for further study. This timely, conceptual and empirical book will appeal to students of urbanization, architects involved in urban policy and planning, and researchers alike.