The Extended Metropolis: Settlement Transition in Asia

Abstract

Asian urbanization is entering a new phase that differs significantly from the patterns of city growth experienced in other developing countries and in the developed world. According to a recent hypothesis, zones of intensive economic interaction between rural and urban activities are emerging. The zones appear to be a new form of socioeconomic organization that is neither rural nor urban, but preserves essential ingredients of each. The landscapes in these extended metropolitan zones have changed little over decades. Most people live in villages, and almost all of the land is under cultivation. However, most income now comes from non-agricultural sources. Village and small-town industries provide employment for some family members, who help out in the fields only at planting or harvesting time. Others commute to jobs in the central cities. Still others live in the cities and their satellites, remitting portions of their salaries to the family. This study elaborates on this hypothesis through studies of urban areas in China, India, Indonesia and Japan. Contributors offer different perspectives from a variety of disciplines including geography, regional planning, sociology, economics and public administration. All seek to determine how rapidly, under what circumstances, and on what scale the extended metropolis is emerging.

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