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In the West, the design of new towns has always been based on an ideal model in accordance with the ideas of that mo­ment. In the case of the latest generation of new towns in Asia, however, only quantitative and marketing principles seem to play a role: the number of square metres, dwellings or people, or the greenest, most beautiful or most tech­nologically advanced town. Rising in the East shows which design principles these premises are based upon.

The urban design principles of the Asian new towns cannot be copied on a one-to-one basis in Western architectural practice. Nevertheless, they certainly cannot be ignored, either. Many Western firms of architects design and build in Asia. Moreover, countries such as China and India are urbanising faster than the rest of the world and their influence is growing larger and larger. The development of urban design at the moment is situated largely in China and the Far East.

The large scale of the urbanisation in Asia brings to light a number of problems that have not yet been tackled by any single designer. An infrastructure is required for nature, ecology, food supply and water management, otherwise the metropolises will become unbearable. Although urban design models are being applied in the Far East which have now become outdated in the West, new models are being developed at a fast pace as well. It’s all happening in Asia.

Rachel Keeton carried out research on 200 new towns in Asia that have been designed and built in the last two decades. She analysed the principles, similarities and characteristics of these towns. In eighteen cases she conducted more extensive research with interviews, excursions and literature research.

Funded by the Netherlands Architecture Fund and the EFL Foundation.

About the author: Rachel Keeton is an architect and researcher with the International New Town Institute (INTI) in Almere. INTI conducts research on the development of new towns in the world. INTI organises courses and conferences, and publishes on subjects concerning new towns.