Overview
- Reviews and challenges the long held concept of ‘development’ as being the applicable approach to achieve equitable progress in low and middle income countries
- Identifies a set of science-based theories from the discipline of Spatial Economics to deal with rapid urbanization in South Asia, as an alternative to current approaches
- Discovers the cultural roots underlying the current ‘ecological crisis’, which disproportionately affect vulnerable groups in low and middle income countries
- Presents a case study of a National Spatial Policy while highlighting the need for an ethical code to achieve equitable socio-economic progress
Part of the book series: South Asia Economic and Policy Studies (SAEP)
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Conclusions
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book gathers a collection of essays presented from the perspective of a spatial planner whose working life has been immersed in South Asia. It concerns some of the serious challenges that need to be confronted in the South Asian context, including the externalities and ethical concerns that arise in the process of development. The mid-20th century saw a considerable focus in the West on assisting those countries emerging from European colonial domination. Theories were propounded and international agencies established to facilitate a process called ‘development’ in these countries. However, even after six decades of extraordinary expenditures and effort, millions among the targeted populations remain illiterate, live in abject poverty, and are the most vulnerable groups to external disasters, debilitating diseases and untimely death. In addition, the book reveals the theoretical inadequacies that negatively impact ongoing development efforts. Lastly, it identifies an availablealternative set of science-based approaches that could facilitate the serious pursuit of equitable progress in South Asia and potentially also in other low and middle income countries.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Dr. K. Locana Gunaratna is a Fellow of The National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka. He is an architect trained at the AA School in London who received his Master’s in City Planning from Harvard University and his PhD from the University of Colombo. He has led many professional associations including the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka, the Institute of Town Planners Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects. Presently, he is a partner at Gunaratna Associates, Chartered Architects, Engineers and Planning Consultants, Colombo, where he uses his extensive experience working with the government in areas such as the Ministry of Urban Development and Mahaweli Development Board. His research focuses on urban spaces and development in Sri Lanka, a topic on which he has written extensively. His publications include the books Spatial Concerns in Development: A Sri Lankan Perspective and Shelter in Sri Lanka: 1978–1991.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Towards Equitable Progress
Book Subtitle: Essays from a South Asian Perspective
Authors: K. Locana Gunaratna
Series Title: South Asia Economic and Policy Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8923-7
Publisher: Springer Singapore
eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-10-8922-0Published: 13 June 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-981-13-4274-5Published: 29 December 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-981-10-8923-7Published: 02 June 2018
Series ISSN: 2522-5502
Series E-ISSN: 2522-5510
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 167
Number of Illustrations: 5 b/w illustrations, 38 illustrations in colour
Topics: Development Economics, Development and Sustainability, Urban Economics