著者

野尻 亘

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

桃山学院大学人間科学 (ISSN:09170227)

巻号頁・発行日

no.35, pp.55-76, 2008-07-07

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Since the 1980s, the Asian economies have witnessed rapid economic growth, starting with the NIES and followed by the ASEAN nations, China, and India. The three defining characteristics of this economic development are 1) urbanization (concentration of populations in urban areas and the expansion of metropolises) 2) industrialization (the transition from import substitution to export promotion development strategies, and from labor-intensive industries to high-tech electronic industries), and 3) trade development (expanded exports).These high-growth Asian cities are characterized by factors such as the following 1) the rise and fall of historical dynasties (formation of cities on historical city sites), 2) the propagation of religion (formation of cities serving as religious centers), 3) the rise of colonialism (establishment of colonial cities), 4) the influx of immigrants from China (formation of ethnic neighborhood and trading cites).According to urban geographer, Dr. McGee, Asian cities were either sacred cities (religious centers or centers of deified authority), or market cities (trading centers for surrounding villages, bazaar centers, etc. ) prior to industrialization and modernization. This led to their being made into colonial cities once they initiated contact with the west. The colonial cities took on a variety of functions as port cities and centers of trade and political control. In the contemporary period following independence, the original status of sacred city was restored for some of these areas. That is, to ensure the success of national governments utilizing the historical concentration of power in the colonial cities, they became religious centers in a new form of nationalism.The populations of the Asian cities rose dramatically from the 1950s through the 1970s, yet this was not a case of the urban demand for labor absorbing excess rural labor. On the country, due to the spread of the commercial economy to the villages, subsistence farming declined and poverty became rampant in the rural setting. This pressure on the villages was a major reason for accelerated population influxes from rural to urban areas.The influx of labor, which far exceeds the employment capacity of these cities, is known as "excess urbanization" or "urbanization-without-industrialization." The migrants were absorbed in informal sectors related to the cities' various industries, including peddling, outdoor-stands, and so on, and they moved into slums and squatter areas.From the 1980s onward, due to factors such as economic and financial globalization as well as the end of the Cold War, the Asian cities were incorporated into the world system, which lead to even more dramatic leaps in development. Greater influx of foreign capital, industrialization, and capital accumulation led to the further expansion of urban areas and to great changes in the the cityscapes. In the 1990s, "mega-metropolises"began to form, where large cities and surrounding areas comprise huge urban areas of more than ten million people. This period marked the rise of new towns along highways and railways and the development of residential areas for the middle class, which represent more sophisticated use of urban land and the "verticalization" of the city landscape. At the same time, these cities began to see urban sprawl, characterized by a disorderly distribution and coexistence of urban elements such as massive shopping centers, golf courses, foreign-owned plant facilities, etc., alongside densely populated rural suburbs that still maintain the traditional rural environment.Dr. McGee refers to the massive cities that have developed in this way as "mega urban regions" or "extended metropolitan areas. "