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The patterns and driving forces of uneven regional growth in ASEAN countries: A tale of two Thailands' path toward regional coordinated development

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  • Wei Lang
  • Muzhe Pan
  • Jiemin Wu
  • Tingting Chen
  • Xun Li

Abstract

Uneven development has long been a critical issue in geography and urban studies, leading to economically inefficient urbanization, environmentally unbalanced regions, and socially unequal livelihoods. As one result, primate cities and urban primacy form within a hierarchical urban system, to which urban and regional planning must positively respond. It is worth noting that Thailand has experienced a number of important urbanization issues related to developing countries, such as semicolonialism and internal colonialism. This study aims to investigate regional uneven development based on primacy theory and the rank‐size rule, which are common in most Asian and developing countries. We examined the urbanization processes in Thailand, from 2000 to 2015, by looking at factors of population, GDP, land use, transportation networks, and nighttime light, which provide very recent regional development patterns. The second set of analyses explained the degree of primacy among different provinces and their ranking hierarchies. By presenting the persistent disparities of contemporary urbanization in Thailand and exploring its driving forces, this study offers insights into planning and policy and underscores the importance of regional coordinated development for achieving sustainable urbanization in Southeast Asian countries.

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  • Wei Lang & Muzhe Pan & Jiemin Wu & Tingting Chen & Xun Li, 2021. "The patterns and driving forces of uneven regional growth in ASEAN countries: A tale of two Thailands' path toward regional coordinated development," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 130-149, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:52:y:2021:i:1:p:130-149
    DOI: 10.1111/grow.12459
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    1. Likun Wu & Wei Lang & Tingting Chen, 2024. "Deciphering Urban Land Use Patterns in the Shenzhen–Dongguan Cross-Boundary Region Based on Multisource Data," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-24, January.
    2. Muzhe Pan & Yaofu Huang & Yawen Qin & Xun Li & Wei Lang, 2022. "Problems and Strategies of Allocating Public Service Resources in Rural Areas in the Context of County Urbanization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-20, November.
    3. Mingzhi Zhang & Xiangyu Zhou & Chao Chen & Jianxu Liu & Jiaxi Li & Fuying Huan & Bowen Wang, 2023. "Enterprise Spatial Agglomeration and Economic Growth in Northeast China: Policy Implications for Uneven to Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Hiranya Sritart & Somchat Taertulakarn & Hiroyuki Miyazaki, 2022. "Disparities in Childhood Obesity Prevalence and Spatial Clustering Related to Socioeconomic Factors in Isaan, Thailand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Hechang Cai & Zhijun Feng & Wen Zhou & Jinghan Chen & Zinan Chen, 2023. "Understanding the spatial polarization pattern of technology transfer network in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay area," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 4-25, March.
    6. Uddin, Gazi Salah & Hasan, Md. Bokhtiar & Phoumin, Han & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad & Ahmed, Ali & Troster, Victor, 2023. "Exploring the critical demand drivers of electricity consumption in Thailand," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).

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