Hyper and Dynamic Growth in the ASEAN Region and the Emerging Strategy for Bintan Eco-Island (Indonesia)
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Hyper and Dynamic Growth in the ASEAN Region and the Emerging Strategy for Bintan Eco-Island (Indonesia) Alfonso Vegara Mark Dwyer Maki Kawaguchi ISOCARP Reseved HYPER AND DYNAMIC GROWTH IN THE ASEAN REGION EMERGING STRATEGY FOR BINTAN ECO-ISLAND (INDONESIA) Copyright © Rights All | ISOCARP · REVIEW 08 28 Figure 1: Territorial Hypothesis for Bintan Island Source: Fundación Metrópoli Hyper and dynamic are two descriptive terms frequently associated with or applied to urban development across Asia. This paper addresses the ASEAN context, the rapidly developing region of South East Asia covering roughly half the surface area of the United States and with twice its popula- tion with nearly 600 million inhabitants. It takes as a case study Bintan Island, one of Indonesia´s more than 17,000 islands which benefits from its strategic location to nearby Singapore and the competitive advantages that can be discovered within its surrounding territory. A World of Cities buildings, water and waste systems, roads and — transportation, and supporting information and In the last decade of the 20th century and especially communications technology. Policymakers should at the beginning of the 21st century, we have expe- view the projected spending as an opportunity for rienced profound and accelerated urban transforma- their cities to become early adopters and investors tions which suggest a distinct historical era; one in inISOCARP transformational solutions - and, by extension, which economics, politics, society, and the environ- to create healthier and more sustainable lifestyles ments in which we live, are affected decisively. This (Pennell 2010). It is not only a quantitative process; process of urbanization is unprecedented, as we cities are the nodes that articulate and organize now speak of cities without limits. theReseved global economy; without the commitment of In a short period of time, there has been a tremen- cities, the principles of sustainable development dous spatial transformation in major cities around and continued quality of life on the planet are not HYPER AND DYNAMIC GROWTH IN THE ASEAN REGION EMERGING STRATEGY FOR BINTAN ECO-ISLAND (INDONESIA) the world. In developing countriesCopyright it corresponds to viable. Consequently, the design, construction and a high population growth but in developed coun- management of 21st century cities are one of the tries it has almost exclusively ©to do with changesRights in great tasks for humanity. consumption space. In 1950, approximately 30% of As Saskia Sassen (2001) writes, cities continue to be- the population could be consideredAll urban. In 2000 come more and more central to local and regional the percentage of urban population was close to economies, and “they are exposed to a very open | ISOCARP · REVIEW 08 50% and, according to estimates, in the year 2025; form of international competition”. The progressive 29 approximately 70% of the world´s population will be dismantling of barriers to international trade, easier living in urbanized areas. Demographers also predict access to information, and improved transporta- that by 2025 there will be more than 30 megacities, tion and communication systems all contribute to with more than 8 million people, and more than 500 the globalization of urban economies. Today, states cities with more than one million inhabitants. have a declining importance as a unitary category A process of this magnitude is an extraordinary chal- in the global economy. Companies in the global lenge to social, infrastructural, and environmental economy increase the demand for support services functions and it is where we find ourselves today. for their own productivity, begging financial and Simultaneously, over the next three decades, cities legal services, management, innovation, design, worldwide will spend an estimated US$350 trillion production technology, maintenance, logistics, on the construction, operation, and maintenance communications, distribution, and advertising. The of urban infrastructure, including power produc- complexity, diversity, and specialization of business tion and distribution, residential and commercial services offered provides an option much cheaper CITIES WITH MORE THAN 1 MILLION INHABITANTS 1950 80 2000 365 2025 +++ ISOCARP Figure 2: Cities with more than 1 million inhabitants ResevedSource: Fundación Metrópoli HYPER AND DYNAMIC GROWTH IN THE ASEAN REGION EMERGING STRATEGY FOR BINTAN ECO-ISLAND (INDONESIA) than hiring professionals who workCopyright permanently services that encourage economic and cultural syn- in different departments of the same company. ergies. Increasingly, cities and businesses need to be Therefore, a “complex of services”© arises, Rightsbased in aware of the broader context in which they operate. cities of critical mass. This requires new working methods and new instru- This economic shift impacts the structuralAll dynamics ments in urban and regional planning. By their very | ISOCARP · REVIEW 08 and leadership on the global stage as power and structure, national governments lack the flexibility to 30 influence shift from states to cities. Many states are innovate or lead society in an increasingly competi- too small and weak to control global flows of power, tive direction. Given this reality, it becomes clear that wealth, trade and international technology, and are the successes and failures of our cities will be the often too large and heterogeneous to represent the successes and failures of our countries. As an indica- social and cultural plurality of their citizens. On the tor of this shift, the World Bank1 and Inter-American other hand, states lose legitimacy as representative Development Bank 2 are actively redirecting their in- bodies and efficient organizations, making the cities vestment strategies for developing nations to focus and regions well positioned to perform these func- attention on cities. Major issues such as economic tions. In the current global economy, competition competitiveness, social stability, quality of life, and occurs more at the city and regional levels, which are environmental sustainability will depend on the col- better able to provide competitive advantages for lective ability to reinvent and govern our cities and companies and quality of life for citizens. regions, and ultimately, the ability to innovate and to Cities can create competitive advantages by build- share these innovations with other cities in a world ing efficient urban infrastructure, and offering which is increasingly global and interconnected. New Scale of Planning a remarkable blend of people, cultures, and ecosys- — tems, the ASEAN region is a highly desirable touris- City Regions tic and economic destination. If cities are to become effective drivers of creative It covers an area of 4.48 million km2 and has a pop- change - the mobilising forces of the new global or- ulation of approximately 600 million. In comparison, der - they have to act in coherence with their wider the European Union has roughly the same amount context. This implies a complete overhaul and recon- of land (4.32 million km2), but a smaller population figuration of policies and practices at city, regional, of 500 million. The United States of America, with national and supra-national levels to cope with new a total continental surface area of 8.08 million km2, paradigms and spatial realities. Ecological systems, is home only to 308 million people, approximately economic activities or the transfer of knowledge half of the population of the ASEAN region. The capital are never restricted to or limited by the same burgeoning middle-class in the ASEAN region and borders which define governmental administrations direct access to the immense population signifies a or urban policies. Therefore the new scale of plan- substantial and rapidly expanding market opportu- ning approach, containing the larger region and nity. From a demographic perspective, the ASEAN CITIES WITH MORE THAN connected territorial structure, must be redefined. region has a natural competitive advantage with its 1 MILLION INHABITANTS City regions have emerged since the beginning high ratio of younger generation to total popula- of the 20th century around the major cities in the tion, representing a healthy labour force in years to 1950 80 world. With global urbanisation, other metropolitan come. This stands in stark contrast to other regions, 2000 365 areas are devising integrated strategies of transpor- even within the rest of Asia, which are confronted 2025 +++ tation, economic development and environmental with the challenges of providing for and sustaining protection in cooperation with neighbouring metro- a rapidly ageing population. politan areas. By building high speed rail networks, The organization for Economic Co-operation integrated with airports and regional transit links andISOCARP Development Centre’s (OECD) 2010 Southeast these mega-regions improve mobility and strength- Asian Economic Outlook, illustrated a positive out- en economic links between individual cities within look for growth in the region with six of the major Figure 2: Cities with more than 1 million inhabitants their polycentric network. The constituent cities mo- ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Source: Fundación Metrópoli bilise investments in parallel into urban regenera- Philippines,Reseved Thailand and Vietnam) having emerged tion, local economic development and environmen- strongly from the global economic crisis. tal improvements to ensure the full contribution