Since 2000, the emergence of new planned cities has established a significant trend in urbanization across Asian countries. Central planners explicitly conceptualize these projects primarily as long-term investments for urban economic vibrancy. They hope that new cities will allow their jurisdictions to leap into higher-skill sectors, diversify the existing economy, trigger creative clusters and innovation hubs, and cultivate vibrant urban environments that will attract talented workers and productive firms.

The interplay of internal and external forces has prompted many Asian new cities to engage in global production and distribution chains. This book aims to present new cities in Asia from the perspective of economic vibrancy, identifying key mechanisms for measuring success. The analytical framework addresses the mechanisms along three dimensions: underlying forces that foster the dense and diverse production and consumption activities; creative financing; and the digitalization of urban systems.