Mukunda Mishra - Regional Development Planning and Practice: Contemporary Issues in South Asia

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I am delighted that Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. has published this book, Regional Development Planning and PracticeContemporary Issues in South Asia, edited by Mukunda Mishra, R. B. Singh, Andrews Jos de Lucena, and Soumendu Chatterjee. The editors are to be congratulated for their work to prepare a volume that is so timely and appropriate.

Geographers have long stressed the need to regard development as a regional process, Development planning is invariably more effective when responsive to, and customized to, a particular region's needs. Of course, this demands attentiveness to locale. Successful regional development planning also requires the right tools, methods, conceptual frameworks, and data. Paying particular attention to regional development in South Asia this book sheds light on these key elements in chapters by academics and planning practitioners from Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Mexico, Nepal, Poland, and Sri Lanka.

Collectively, the chapters of this book aspire to contribute to better understandings of, and practices for, sustainable regional development. They do so through coverage of a wide range of contemporary issues including climatic and other environmental changes, human health, gender inequality, accessibility, challenges associated with displaced populations, and tribal livelihood strategies in addition to more conventional themes such as regional inequalities and regional urban problems.

Notably, the editors have emphasized the importance of experiences in South Asia, a diverse region which confronts critical economic, demographic, environmental, and societal challenges. There is much to be learned both within the region and further afield from the experiences of the contributing scholars.