Allen G. Noble

Chinese cities: a research agenda.

This is an introduction to a special issue of Urban Geography devoted to urbanization in China particularly the role of urbanization in the development process that has occurred in the post-Mao period since 1976. The papers included here were presented at a conference on Asian urbanization held at the University of Akron Ohio April 19-20 1985. The authors of this introduction identify a number of important issues related to urbanization in China and suggest areas for future research. (ANNOTATION)

The Asian city : processes of development, characteristics, and planning

Preface. Part I: Urbanization in an International Context. 1. An Introduction to the Asian City A.K. Dutt, F.J. Costa, A.G. Noble, S. Aggarwal. 2. Asian Urban Growth since 1950: Demographic Components, including Transnational Redistribution B.J.L. Berry, Hak-Min Kim. 3. City Forms of China and India in Global Perspective A.K. Dutt, Yichun Xie, F.J. Costa, Zhengmao Yang. Part II: Comparative Urban Setting. 4. The Distribution of City Sizes in Asian Countries P.P. Karan. 5. The Concept of Sacred Cities in Asia with Special Reference to India S.M. Bhardwaj. 6. A Comparative Study of Rank-Size Distributions in China and India A.K. Dutt, Yichun Xie, R.J. Das, A. Parai. 7. Spatial Pattern of Commercial Establishments in Two South Asian City Centers: Rajshahi and Madurai A.K. Dutt, A.G. Noble, Z. Hasan. Part III: Urbanization Characteristics by Countries. 8. Metropolization in Densely Populated Asia: the Case of Tokyo Y. Masai. 9. The Nature of Urbanization in South Korea Naghun Song, A.K. Dutt, F.J. Costa. 10. Indian Urbanization: Proliferation of Mega Cities and Urban Corridors B.K. Roy. 11. Urbanization in Southeast Asia A.K. Dutt, Naghun Song. 12. Small Town Growth and Development Policy in Pakistan A.H. Siddiqi. Part IV: Urban Planning. 13. Water Supply in Selected Mega Cities of Asia A. Parai, J.E. Benhart, W.C. Rense. 14. The Impact of the Growth of Township Enterprises on Rural--Urban Transformation in China, 1978--1990 S.L. Morgan. 15. New Small Towns of Israel: Successes and Failures E. Efrat. 16. Exporting Planning: the Work of Thomas Karsten in Colonial Indonesia J.L. Cobban. 17. Planning in a Rapid Growth Center: the Case of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia S. Al-Oteibi, A.G. Noble, F.J. Costa. Part V: The Urban Poor. 18. Children in the Urban Informal Sector: a Tragedy of the Developing Countries in Asia P. Nangia. 19. Poverty in the Metropolitan Cities of India V. Nath. 20. Spatial Spread of Daily Activity Patterns of Slum Dwellers in Calcutta and Delhi A.K. Dutt, S. Tripathi, A. Mukhopadhyay. 21. Bombay Urban Development Project: a Solution for the Shelter Problem of the Urban Poor? S. Banerjee-Guha. 22. Sidewalk Dwellers of Calcutta A. Mukhopadhyay, A.K. Dutt, A. Halder. Part VI: Perspectives on Urbanization. 23. Trends and Implications of Urbanization in India during the 20th Century A. Bose. 24. Perspectives on Asian Urbanization: an East--West Comparison A. Parai, A.K. Dutt.

Image and Substance: A Review of Literary Geography

Novelists and geographers are each concerned with landscapes. Over time, geographers have come to appreciate that writers offer interpretations of land-scapes unavailable from scientific analysis. Writers convey feelings, viewpoints, values, attitudes and meanings associated with landscapes. The study of literary works by geographers is termed literary geography and it began in England. In the United States the subject received considerable attention in the late 1970s and in the 1980s. This article provides an historical review of major developments.

Challenges to Asian Urbanization in the 21st Century

Challenges to Asian Urbanization in the 21st Century: An Introduction.- A Half-Century of the World City: Asian and African Cities.- Post-Colonial Cities in the Global Era: A Comparative Study of Mumbai and Accra.- Colombo and the Pattern of South Asian and Port City Models.- The Development of Hill Stations as Urban Centers.- Communicative Planning Practice in an Undemocratic society: Hong Kong Case.- Central Planning and Market Elements in Viet Nams Economy.- Recent Planning Strategies in Jerusalem.- A Spatio-Temporal, Functional Classification of Indian Cities.- Ambient Air Quality in Delhi 1988-1994: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis.- Environmental Degradation and Health:Urban Growth and Health Risks in Pondicherry.- Pollution Parameters in Asian Cities.- Mitigating Rural-Urban Exodus: Multi-Objective Spatial Design of Rural Biomass Energy.- The Role of Secondary Cities in Rapidly Industrializing Countries:The Example of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.- Assessing Rail Network History in Japans Kanto Region.- Urban Development of South Asia.

Geography of the Intifada

The conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Israelis has steadily expanded since December 1987. This article provides a geographical interpretation of the widening of the conflict. Demographic factors strongly favor the Arabs. Newly established Jewish settlements in the occupied territories provoked the Arabs, and their refugee camps became the initial foci of conflict. The uprising then diffused along principal routes of access in both the Gaza Strip and JudeaSamaria. The unity carefully fostered by the Israelis since 1967 for Jerusalem proved to be ephemeral. EARLY December 1989 marked the two-year anniversary of the Palestinian uprising against Israel in Judea-Samaria and the Gaza Strip, which are also known as the occupied or administered territories. The intifada, to use the Arabic word for the uprising, came as a great surprise to many Israelis and emerged from an array of Arab political demands: self-determination, an independent Palestinian state, and evacuation of Israeli military forces from the occupied territories. The intifada began with an incident in the Gaza Strip, spread quickly to other locations there and in Judea-Samaria, and eventually assumed the character of a violent revolt throughout the Palestinian Arab areas. The purpose of this article is to analyze the geographical characteristics of the intifada and its stages of development, with an emphasis on the spatial perspectives of the uprising and their relationship to political events and activities. To demonstrate how geographical features have shaped the development of the intifada, we analyze three important elements: the demographic balance between Israelis and Arabs, the dispersion of the Arab refugee camps in the territories, and the problems stemming from the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem.

The growth of metro systems in Madrid, Rome and Athens

Transit systems compared; upgrading and improvement of the metro systems; why the contrasts in metro development?

Urban development in Saudi Arabia: Building and subdivision codes

Abstract Saudi Arabia is experiencing an extremely rapid urbanization. Large numbers of people from rural and nomadic habitats, as well as foreign immigrants, are moving into the countrys urban areas. The rapid growth in population and urban land use has been greater than the nations capacity to plan and absorb population in a systematic manner. Policies to guide urban development which are environmentally compatible with the landscape and climate of Saudi Arabia must be created and adapted. These policies must also be consistent with the cultural orientation of the society. In this article a modern building and subdivision code is proposed which takes into consideration these environmental and cultural conditions.

Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Marriage Distance in Two Sikh Villages of Punjab

The spatial aspects of marriage in two Sikh villages in the Indian state of Punjab are investigated with the findings compared to earlier sudies in other parts of India. One village had experienced the Green Revolution, hut the second had not. A radius of roughly 25 miles demarcates the limit of over 80% of marriage interaction in both villages, and a “crater effect” was observed in the distance decay of marriages. An expansion of the marriage field had taken place in the village influenced by Green Revolution changes, whereas no similar change occurred in the village practicing traditional agriculture. Both the extent of the marriage field and the variations in the intensity of marriage links within the field were affected by socio-economic factors including level of education, caste and extent of land ownership.

Spatial Diversity and Dynamics in Resources and Urban Development

Natural resources are attributes found in nature such as coal, wilderness, water, soil, and air that can be used as factors of production. A resource is a means to an end. Although resources are plentiful, their distribution is spatially uneven in developing and developed countries. Concomitantly, there is a contrast in the population and resource relationship in relation to regional levels of development. The explosion of population size and its resultant pressure on consumption and depletion of resources is a big question for development analysts and decision makers. Adverse relationships have led to loss of cultivated lands, deforestation, soil erosion, water shortage, groundwater depletion, ecological imbalance, pollution hazards, deterioration of water quality, and environmental degradation. This disparity impacts the gross national product as many governments do not take into account the loss of resources in the measurement of development, thereby infl ating the sum of goods and services produced in the economy. Further, resource analysts have advocated an increase in wealth per capita over time to maintain intergenerational social well-being.

An Introduction to the Asian City

A city is a product of its history, economic functions and cultural heritage. Specific factors of site, such as small scale topographic features, modify the form of the city. In Asia, cities have grown over several thousands of years in different cultural, physiographic, and economic settings and therefore, reflect diverse characteristics. Thus, it is not possible to state the characteristics of a single Asian city and make a generalization therefrom. Rather, there are several Asian city types that represent the Asian scene. Diversity is rooted in the Asian city, imparted not only by history, religion, language, and physical characteristics, but also by colonial development and post-colonial imprints. Despite such diversity, Asian cities have followed specific paths as explained in chapter 3 by Dutt, Xie, Costa and Yang.