Neoliberal Urbanism, Contested Cities and Housing in Asia (The Contemporary City)

Considering Asian cities ranging from Taipei, Hong Kong and Bangkok to Hanoi, Nanjing and Seoul, this collection discusses the socio-political processes of how neoliberalization entwines with local political economies and legacies of ‘developmental’ or ‘socialist’ statism to produce urban contestations centered on housing. The book takes housing as a key entry point, given its prime position in the making of social and economic policies as well as the political legitimacy of Asian states. It examines urban policies related to housing in Asian economies in order to explore their continuing alterations and mutations, as they come into conflict and coalesce with neoliberal policies. In discussing the experience of each city, it takes into consideration the variegated relations between the state, the market and the society, and explores how the global pressure of neoliberalization has manifested in each country and has influenced the shaping of national housing questions.

Yi-Ling Chen is Associate Professor in International Studies and Geography at the University of Wyoming, USA. Her research examines the interaction of urban planning and social change, focusing on urban social movements, particularly those concerning housing access. Her published works are on housing, gender, urban movements, identity politics and regional development in Taiwan. She recently expanded her research to compare East Asian cities, Amsterdam, and Denver in their implementations of social housing.

Hyun Bang Shin is Professor of Geography and Urban Studies and the Director of Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Between 2017 and 2019, he is also Eminent Scholar at Kyung Hee University, South Korea. His research focuses on the critical analysis of the political economic dynamics of speculative urbanization, the politics of displacement, gentrification, mega-events, and the right to the city, with particular attention to Asian cities.