Planning for a Better Urban Living Environment

The contributors to this book explore the relationship between economic development and the urban environment, especially in respect of how to plan for a better urban living environment. Rapid economic growth and increasing population growth in Asia has led to many problems in the urban sectors. Environmental degredation, housing shortages, traffic congestion, vehicular and pedestrian conflicts, problems in land management, to name a few. Squatters, high density development and urban sprawl are some typical manifestations of these problems. Also most Asian countries face a large informal economy fuelled by rural-urban migration, as well as a restructuring formal economy as a result of the growing interdependency of the global economy. Urban planners in Asia have been given the challenging task of meeting evolving economic needs while preserving cultural heritage unique to Asia. By looking at various themes: urban and regional planning, environment, housing, redevelopment and conservation, and planning education, the central thesis of this work is to investigate urban development issues and various responses to plan for a better urban living environment in Asia.