Debnath Mookherjee - Böcker

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 urbanizationNote 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 approachDiscuss 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.

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 urbanizationNote 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 approachDiscuss 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.

In the context of mounting challenges stemming from a rapid transformation of the urban-regional landscapes in many Asian countries, this book highlights a multifaceted array of issues that increasingly engage the academic and planning communities in search of viable solutions to complex problems facing us. Even though cities continue to dominate development studies, urbanization of Asia is evolving toward a hybrid urban-rural nexus beyond the cities. This volume considers these shifting dynamics of Asian urbanization, including urban spatial transformations and their ramifications in the context of sustainability and planning.  Through the lens of a set of empirical studies across diverse disciplines, geographies and methodologies. yet with an overarching concern for sustainability in varied (but interconnected) areas such as climate change, land use planning, infrastructure and urban mobility, and quality of life, these studies examine a range of important topics (e.g., flooding, transportation, housing, open space/ green space, urban garden and such) in city/regional settings. Together, they add insights into varied transformational processes or patterns at work on the urban-regional landscapes in a number of Asian countries while offering innovative approaches or alternatives.  The proposed volume fills a gap in urban/regional studies in context of South and Southeast Asia that will be of interest to all stakeholders (e.g., planners, administrators, academicians and the citizenry), particularly those interested in sustainability and planning paradigms. It should be a timely and valuable addition to the Asian urbanization literature.