EDITORIAL.

: URBAN ISSUES IN ASIA

Author(s): Sofia COLESCA
Source: Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management , Vol. 4, No. 1S, URBAN
ISSUES IN ASIA (April 2009), pp. 5-7
Published by: Research Center in Public Administration and Public Services
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/24872404

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 Colesca S. CCASP
EDITORIAL. URBAN ISSUES IN ASIA
TERUM_

EDITORIAL. URBAN ISSUES IN ASIA

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.a V) In the last decade we have assisted at a spectacular transformation of the human settlements, as more
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magnitude in Asia. In 1950, Asia had only one city with a population of more than 10 millions people; by
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a .. of one million constitutes a small settlement, urbanization creates many challenges, especially about
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people each day. The huge increase in urban populations require the construction of more than 20,000
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new dwellings, 250 kilometers of new roads, and additional infrastructure to supply more than six
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V) megaliters of potable water (Asian Development Bank. 2008).

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In Asia, there are wide differences in the urbanization experience both between and within countries. In
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rapidly with economic growth in lower-income countries than in higher-income countries. However,
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0 urbanization has bought enormous economic and social change and benefits to any Asian country,
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because it is associated with the creation of jobs for millions of people, reduction of poverty,
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development of new forms of housing, consumption, and social interaction for individuals and
communities. Housing, water supply, power generation and transmission, telecommunications, intra-city
transport, waste management, infrastructure finance, municipal governance, economic regeneration -
the modernisation of Asia's urban infrastructure are some of the most profound chalenging trends of the
present century.

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CCASP Colesca S.
EDITORIAL. URBAN ISSUES IN ASIA
TERUM

The extraordinary growth of cities in Asia, however, is coming at a price. Overcrowding has become
endemic in many cities. As a result of overcrowding, urban poverty, associated with unemployment and
the lack of access to adequate housing and services, is an increasing social problem. The most visible
indicator of poverty in many Asian cities is the presence of slums and squatter communities. In these
slum areas, water and sanitation are usually inadequate. Solid waste collection is also poor, with
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garbage often left decaying at street corners in uncovered receptacles (Laquian, 2004). C ~
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Even if Asia is endowed with great rivers that are the lifelines of the regional economy, as a whole, the I) ~
region faces severe stress on water availability, primarily due to high population density. Other causes °' z1-1
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of low water availability in this region are directly linked to the reducing forest cover and soil
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Besides water, there are several other issues related to environment, such as; global warming and its L V)
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impact; intense land/use and shifting pattern of agriculture; issues related to fertilizer applications and
pesticide residues in soil and water; and solid and liquid waste management particularly in industrial and ti)
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Rapid economic growth and industrialization have caused unacceptably high levels of pollution. Air I) 0\
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pollution is a serious problem, with Beijing, Calcutta, New Delhi, and Shanghai being among the most I) 0
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polluted cities in the world. Urban transport is the main cause of air pollution. As the number of C,
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vehicles on the roads increase every year, traffic congestion and pollution continue to grow, reducing ·-L ~
the quality of life in many urban environments.
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In this context, Asian policymakers at all levels must respond to the challenges and opportunities of -0 L
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urbanization in order to maximize its potential to improve the quality of life for all citizens. C, .a
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In this special number of "Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management" we called for
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the study of urbanization in Asia as economic, political and socio-cultural complexities. So, this special
number, under the topic "Urban issues in Asia", collects 10 papers authored by researchers from Hong
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Kong, United Kingdom, mainland China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Each article I-
explores some of the region's most important urban issues. Sherry Zhou and Helen Bao, have authored
a comprehensive and thoughtful analysis of the residential, retail, and office property sectors in Hong
Kong. Sheng Ying presents a vivid and powerful discussion of the Chinese reconstruction planning after
the 2008 devastating Great Wenchuan Earthquake. Priya Narayanan and Ashok Hanjagi analyse the
urban land transformation in Banglore from an ecological point of view. Sanjay Rode raise critical
questions about drinking water supply in Pune metropolitan region. Ismail Omar, Djurdjani Wardaya and
Priyono Nugroho Djojomartono discuss the importance of land rights in providing ways and means for

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 Colesca S. CCASP
EDITORIAL. URBAN ISSUES IN ASIA
TERUM_

the improvement and preservation of urban heritage cultural values in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ismail
Syuhaida and Md Yusef Aminah investigates the features and characteristics of infrastructure that is
suitable to be provided via private finance initiative, with particular reference to Malaysia's construction
industry. Ahmad Rodzi Mahmud and Vini lndriasari present and discuss the application of two greedy
algorithms to establish the location of fire stations in Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia. Mastura Jaafar, Abdul-

+- Rashid Abdul-Aziz and Muhammad-Hijas Sahari present the results of a Malayesian survey with the
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I) < Rahaman and Md. Salauddin make a spatial analysis on the provision of urban public services, with the
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a :::, Uddin Hasan present the use of "Citizen Report Card" in the evaluation of the performance of waste
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·-C z< The selected articles provide a snapshot of the nowadays Asian urbanization issues. We hope that the
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(II 0 REFERENCES
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Asian Development Bank (2008) City Cluster Development: Toward an Urban-Led Development
Strategy for Asia. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from Asian Development Bank website,
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·- http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Urban-Development-Series/2008/
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Asian Development Bank (2006) Urbanization and Sustainability: Case Studies of Good Practice.
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Retrieved March 20, 2009 from Asian Development Bank website,
-a I) http://www.ad b.erg/Documents/Books/Urbanization-Sustainability/
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Laquian A. (2004) Who are the Poor and How Are They Being Served in Asian Cities. In Public
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z Transport in Asia, pp. 14-22

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