Neoliberalization of urban planning and spatial inequalities in Asian megacities: Focus on Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Mumbai

Asian megacities have been experiencing profound transformation and growing spatial inequality, particularly under globalization and neoliberal shifts in Asian countries. This paper aims to explore the transformation of urban planning systems under the influence of neoliberalization of urban policies and the resultant spatial inequality through empirical case studies in selected Asian megacities: Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Mumbai. We claim that the very nature of the urbanization process in Asian megacities lies in the urban areas hitherto regarded as informal in urban planning schemata. The four cases empirically showed that the process of ur-banization in Asian megacities is characterized by the coexistence of self-shaped urban areas (SUAs) and planned urban areas (PUAs). Finally, we concluded that a neoliberal shift in urban planning regulatory frameworks has progressed since the 1990s when the market-oriented neoliberal doctrine began to spread worldwide, that the process of urbanization in Asian megacities is characterized by significant spatial inequality between SUAs and PUAs, and that the actual processes of urbanization and spatial morphology vary significantly from city to city.

Automated summary

Asian megacities have undergone significant transformation and increasing spatial inequality due to globalization and neoliberal shifts. This paper investigates the changes in urban planning systems influenced by the neoliberalization of urban policies and resulting spatial inequality through case studies in Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Mumbai. The study reveals that the urbanization process in Asian megacities is characterized by the coexistence of self-shaped urban areas (SUAs) and planned urban areas (PUAs). Furthermore, it concludes that a neoliberal shift in urban planning has occurred since the 1990s, leading to significant spatial inequality between SUAs and PUAs, and variations in urbanization processes and spatial morphology across cities.