Editorial—Regional perspective: transitional landscapes in Eastern Asia

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Notes

1 In 1978 China instigated economic reforms known as the ‘reform and openness’ policy and it has since then become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

2 See Hui Liu (2006) who describes the ‘alarmingly high’ regional inequalities as a result of the rural-urban gap and regional rural inequalities.

3 See for example Yu & Ng (2007) who discuss the difficulties of theorizing spatial and temporal dynamics of urban sprawl in Ghuangzhou, China.

4 See for example Diamond (2005) Chapter 12, China, Lurching Giant.

5 Qi et al. (2004).

6 See interview with Judith Shapiro of November 2002, author of Mao's War Against Nature (Cambridge University press, 2001) at www.threegorgesprobe.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content& ContentID=5946 (accessed 24.07.06).

7 See http://www.chiangmaihandicrafts.com/thaiculture/HilltribesofNorthernThailand/indexht.htm

8 See http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/ch.html and http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/mix.htm

9 See http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/mix.htm. The impacts on the lands of the indigenous peoples and their struggles for environmental justice of Japan and Taiwan are also documented, see Fan (2006) and Japan: http://www.ei-ie.org/en/article/show.php?id=5&theme=indigenous

10 E.g. Li et al. (2005); Jim (2003); Pearce (2006).

11 A recent article (Dawson, 2005) indicating some of the experience of UK design companies working in China illustrates some of the opportunities that Western practices are now tapping into in urban development projects in China.