The Urban World, 9 th Ed.

1. The Urban World, 9th Ed. J. John Palen

2. Chapter 15: Asian Urban Patterns • Introduction • India • China • Japan • Southeast Asia • Summary

3. Introduction • Asian Cities • Patterns of urbanization have different historical roots and have developed in dissimilar cultures • As of 2010 Asia’s population was almost two-thirds of the world population • 43 percent of the population of Asia is Urban • Indigenous Cities • Indigenous pre-industrial Asian cities originally were predominantly political, cultural, and religious center, and only secondarily economic centers

4. Figure 15.1 Map of Asia

5. Colonial Background Cities • Western-type city organization was imported into Asia, mostly during the 19th century, by Europeans seeking trade • Originally established as small trading sites, perhaps with a small fort for protections, these cities are now among the largest in the world

6. India • Only 29 percent urban, but that is 29 percent of 1.2 billion people • Mumbai (Bombay) • The heart of India’s financial and industrial life and the center of the nation’s large and colorful film industry • 20 million people in 2010 • The social fabric threatens to unravel because of the gap between the super rich and the super poor has become sharper and more painful • Half of the Indian population makes less than $2 a day

7. Kolkata (Calcutta) • The opposite from Mumbai, both geographically and emotionally • City population of 6 million and the overall metro-area population of 16 million • Has been run by a Marxist local government for decades • Three-quarters of the population is housed in crowded tenements and bustee huts • Much of the city is in a state of decay, including municipalities and housing • Remains one of the world’s more vital cities

8. Prognosis • India’s population will soon surpass China’s as the world’s largest • The prognosis for economic growth is strong • Economic growth thus far benefits the elite and the middle class far more than the masses • Questions of environmental quality receive little attention

9. China • Currently the world’s economic growth machine • Treaty Ports • The first modern manufacturing and industrial cities of China were the Western-dominated treaty ports • Urbanization Policies • China’s policy under Mao was resolutely anti-urban • Today cities are the economic engines driving the country’s development • Forced Movement from Cities • Urban Chinese youth were persuaded to “volunteer” to resettle permanently in rural villages • Today anti-urban policies have run up against economic reality • Economically, China is now essentially a free-enterprise system

10. Rural to Urban Migration • A major effort is being made to relocate industries to outlying areas in order to stem the potential flood of rural-to-urban migrants • Mechanization of farming will eventually displace 500 million people; resulting in the largest movement in human history • Unsanctioned migrants do nor have access to services • Economic Boom • Economic reforms occurred first in Special Economic Zones set up in the south • The southern zones now boast a considerable prosperity

11. Shanghai • China’s largest city at 16.7 million • Allowed to deteriorate after the communist takeover, Shanghai is now rapidly expanding • The area of Pudong is now the financial capital of China • Despite rising pollution, Shanghai is seeking to become China’s symbol of sustainable growth • Beijing • China’s second largest city with 12 million residents • Home of the political leaders and bureaucrats • Booming economically; workers paid four time the national average • Among the most polluted regions of the work

12. Hong Kong • Reverted to China in 1997 • Most noted for its laissez-faire economic structure • Its population density is the highest in the world • Developing several new towns as independent entities, yet they cannot fully meet their own needs • The economy is the eighth-largest trading entity in the world • Political future still unsure

13. Japan • Extent of Urbanization • Today Japan is 86 percent urban, a percentage higher than North America • Overall density of more than 300 persons/squared kilometer and 45 percent of population occupying only 1 percent of the land area • Current Patterns • Urbanization and industrialization similar to Western countries • Previously ignored public works are now being invested in • Possesses great resources

14. Tokyo: the world’s most populous metro area • Housing • Exorbitant land costs have resulted in structures being built wall to wall up to the lot lines • Little open public land • Nationally only half the homes are connected to sewage systems • Due to housing costs, commutes are usually long • Transportation • Japan’s subway and train system are among the world’s finest • The world’s most congested metro-area • The nation has some 55 million bicycles • Crime • One of the world’s safest cities and one of the world’s lowest crime rates

15. Planning • During the final years of WW II much of Tokyo was leveled • The opportunity to rebuild did not create wider streets, open space, or reasonable lot sizes • Planned New Towns • Public housing, in new towns or elsewhere, is built for middle-class rather than low-income groups • Suburbanization • Earthquakes have encouraged decentralization • High land costs resulted in suburbanization

16. Southeast Asia • General Patterns • Most major cities a product of European colonial expansion • Cities are relatively new • Singapore • Atypical of Southeast Asia • Even with a total absence of natural resources, the country is prosperous • 5 million persons in 225 square miles • Replacing all housing with high-rise apartments • Singaporeans enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world

17. Other Cities • Jakarta, Indonesia, has 10 million people • Bangkok, Thailand, officially, has 6 million people, but it is actually twice that number • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the national capital, has grown with more speed than planning • Seoul, South Korea, is efficient rather than comfortable