Mee Kam Ng

This title was first published in 2000. Asia has developed very rapidly in the last quarter of the century and will be a main focus of the world in the 21st century. With rapid growth and development, the urban areas in the region are undergoing dramatic changes. An appreciation of the heterogeneous nature of Asian cities and the related planning practices is the first step to understand various urban development problems in the region. This book is a consolidated effort by prominent scholars in Asian planning schools to explore urban development and planning practices in Asia. The book reflects on and examines some of the past and current challenges and considers future prospects of urban and regional planning, environment, housing, redevelopment and conservation and planning education in Asia. This book should be useful to students, teachers, researchers and professionals and people who are interested in urban development, planning and environment in Asia.

This title was first published in 2000. Asia has developed very rapidly in the last quarter of the century and will be a main focus of the world in the 21st century. With rapid growth and development, the urban areas in the region are undergoing dramatic changes. An appreciation of the heterogeneous nature of Asian cities and the related planning practices is the first step to understand various urban development problems in the region. This book is a consolidated effort by prominent scholars in Asian planning schools to explore urban development and planning practices in Asia. The book reflects on and examines some of the past and current challenges and considers future prospects of urban and regional planning, environment, housing, redevelopment and conservation and planning education in Asia. This book should be useful to students, teachers, researchers and professionals and people who are interested in urban development, planning and environment in Asia.

This study compares urban planning mechanisms that operate within Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. The political economy of Hong Kong is in a state of flux. While the power of the government and the corporate interests remain largely intact, they are challenged by pro-China interests and a democratizing civil society. The land use planning system reflects this power contest. In the face of both strong resistance from the development industry and China's eagerness to perpetuate a market-led society in post-1997 Hong Kong, the outcome of the power contest remains uncertain. The state-centred political economy of Singapore has bred a top-down land use planning system centrally controlled by the government. Not only has the government dominated the plan making process, the legislation has entrusted the public sector to scrutinize and guide private development through a discretionary development control system.