Economic globalization has brought about dramatic spatial change in cities. Allen Scott and other have pointed to the emergence of 'global city-regions' characterized by the concentration of corporate headquarter and business service functions in central cities and the sprawling of manufacturing and back office service functions to the increasingly far-flung periphery of large cities. In global city-regions in Asia, areas surrounding cities have witnessed rapid urbanization, and central cities have experienced wholesale redevelopment. These changes have transformed property markets, and redefined the relationship between where people live and where they work. They have also raised the issue of a gender mismatch in the location of economic opportunities, as opportunities for low-skilled women workers are increasingly concentrated in manufacturing industries on the urban fringe while those for men continue to be concentrated in central cities. This project will examine the implications of these changes for issues of social equity through a comparison of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR) and the Metro Manila region. Specifically, it will address the following questions: Is redevelopment leading to the exclusion of low-income people from central city housing markets and their displacement to the urban fringe? Are cities consequently becoming increasingly segregated? How far are low-income people commuting, and with what implications for their quality of life? How are household decisions about shelter and employment affected by spatial change? Three methods will be employed. First, an analysis of data on demographics, employment, investment, and other variables from 1970 to 2000 using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will provide a detailed picture of sociospatial change in the BMR and the Metro Manila region. Second, a sample survey and in-depth interviews of household heads in low-income settlements will provide insights into how the economic, social and environmental impacts of urban development have affected household decisions regarding shelter and employment. Finally, in-depth interviews with policy-makers and planners will address their perceptions of the equity impacts of globalization, and how they have responded to emerging issues of social equity in plans and policies.
The research project has both theoretical and practical implications. While a growing literature has argued that patterns of urbanization in the era of globalization are inherently inequitable, this literature is based almost exclusively on the cases of Europe and the United States. This research should enhance our understanding of the inherent inequities in the process of global city-region formation, and the particular issues confronting low-income communities in Asia. The project also has implications for policy and planning in large cities in developing countries, as an understanding of issues of displacement, social segregation, excessive commuting, and access to economic opportunity and affordable shelter are critical to the development of effective interventions in housing, transportation, land use, and economic development.
