Abstract

Industrialisation in Western countries grew and declined over a period of about one century. In Asian countries, this process is taking only a few decades. Industrialisation has been the pull factor for urbanisation and cities have been described as 'engines of economic growth'. There is a general assumption that urbanisation will continue and that compact cities are the appropriate form for the future. This assumes that economies will continue to grow and resources will not deplete. It also begs the question: what proportion of a poulation can continue to be urbanised?