Abstract
Mega-regions have emerged as 'new engines' of global economic growth, characterized by incessant movement of global and local capital. Considering this, this study offers a spatiodemographic approach that defines mega-regions beyond static state-delimited urban boundaries, and considers the global-local dynamics that underlie its formations. Focusing on the Philippines, one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia, we discuss emergent mega-regions and analyze their recent and future trajectories using municipal-level demographic variables (population density, percentage change across Censal years 1990, 2000, 2010) along with special economic zones. Results show the rise of multiple mega-regions in varying degrees of spatial expansion and development from the mega-conurbation of Metro Manila and surrounding regions to emergent provincial mega-regions. Also, the patterns of special economic zones illustrate the spatial expressions of globalization in restructuring mega-regional landscapes in the Philippines. The paper hopes to encourage urban analyses that seek ways of theorizing and accounting for mobilities and global-local networks to guide socially just and sustainable planning.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 130-139 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Cities |
| Volume | 48 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 1 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Globalization
- Mega-regions
- Philippines
- Special economic zones
- Urbanization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Development
- Sociology and Political Science
- Urban Studies
- Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management