Anthony Gar Yeh - Planning for a Better Urban Living Environment in Asia

First published 2000 by Ashgate Publishing

Reissued 2018 by Routledge

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Copyright Anthony Gar-On Yeh and Mee Kam Ng 2000

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A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 134824

ISBN 13: 978-1-138-32684-2 (hbk)

ISBN 13: 978-1-138-32686-6 (pbk)

ISBN 13: 978-0-429-44961-1 (ebk)

ANTHONY GAR-ON YEH AND MEE KAM NG

Rapid economic growth and increasing population in Asia, where over 40 per cent of the worlds urban population is living, have led to many problems in different urban sectors: environmental degradation, housing shortages, traffic congestion, vehicular and pedestrian conflicts, problems in land management, etc. Squatters, high density development and urban sprawl are some typical spatial manifestations of these problems. Most Asian countries also face the coexistence of a large informal economy fuelled by rural-urban migration, and a restructuring formal economy as a result of the growing interdependency of the global economy. Urban planners in Asia, therefore, are given the challenging tasks of meeting rapidly evolving economic needs and preserving cultural heritage unique to Asia. However, the institutional setup often fails to meet these challenges. While an effective and efficient planning system is indispensable in dealing with all these issues, coordination of the central and local governments, non-government organisations, private business sectors and the public in the planning process is generally poor.

Not only are these issues at the top of the agenda for policy makers, research and practising planners, they also pose vexing problems to planning educators in Asia.

The central thesis of all the chapters in this volume, outcomes of the Second International Congress of the Asian Planning School, is to investigate urban development issues and various responses to plan for a better urban living environment in Asia. Chapters are grouped together according to various themes: urban and regional planning, environment, housing, redevelopment and conservation, and planning education.

Sazanami in , the origin and effects of the existence of a huge informal sector in Asian megacities are explored. Amin contends that with the existence of a huge labour surplus in the agricultural sector, rural-urban migration is inevitable which in turn will lead to income disparities and degradation of the urban environment. To better manage the urban economy and environment, it is necessary for the urban planning system to accommodate the informal sector.

Che Omar in outlines the economic restructuring processes in the small territory of Hong Kong and its immediate hinterland, the Pearl River Delta in the Peoples Republic of China. She argues that the economic integration of the two places in the context of their political reunification in 1997 has exposed two root problems of planning in the region: the lack of coordination between the local and cross-boundary authorities in physical and infrastructure planning, and a bias towards the interests of the local bureaucrats and private sectors in the development process. Unless tackled properly, these problems will be stumbling blocks for continuous regional development.