New Patterns of Urbanization in Southeast Asia: An Assessment

It is becoming evident that the urban-industrial pattern of economic development through which Korea and Taiwan have achieved substantial gains in distributed income will not apply to Southeast Asia. Instead a new pattern of urbanization is emerging in the core countries of the region: Indonesia the Philippines Malaysia and Thailand. Rapid improvement of infrastructure and expansion of agribusiness have created increasing demands for urban services in rural areas. This demand has stimulated the growth of the informal sector in older and larger cities the formation of an increasing number of rural service centers and the creation of new patterns of commuting and circular migration linking farm households with urban income sources. (Authors)