This collection of essays is a major contribution to the literature on comparative urbanism and urban development, specifically in the context of emerging economies of the Asian continent. Written by expert academics and practitioners, it offers insightful, provocative, and engaging discussions of many different aspects of urban planning and design: urban conservation; historic preservation; informal economy; new town development; housing; megaprojects and the like. Like a master artist, Bharne has assembled these fascinating narratives, and woven them in his introductory texts -- for the book and its sections – into a rich tapestry of emerging Asian urbanism. The volume is a must read for students and scholars of architecture and urban design interested in contemporary Asian cities in a comparative perspective. - Tridib Banerjee, Professor and the James Irvine Chair in Urban and Regional Planning, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California

This assessment of emerging urban Asia effectively captures its complex histories, present conditions, and willingness to contemplate a future "as a mixed-up result of multiple interventions by multiple groups." Bharne’s rich conceptual structure of "traditions, tensions and transformations" organizes chapters by especially thoughtful professionals and academics, challenging us to reconsider our own urban interventions as transformations of an inherited yet dynamic physical/cultural construct. This book should be required reading for the international business community, physical, social, and economic planners, and urbanists and environmentalists concerned about the future of cities in general as well as those in Asia. - Robert S. Harris, FAIA, Hon. ASLA, Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University of Southern California