A good number of megacities in Asia have used the western growth model in their expansion. The model is deeply tied to the capitalist societies that is inclusive of the idea that the measure of progress is by advances in luxury, economic activity and convenience. On the other hand, societies in Asia that lack similar cultures and socio-political backgrounds as those in London or New York may have a mismatch between the growth model of the cities and the residents of the cities (Edensor, 2012). The following paper will observe the problem of population pressure in Bangkok and Beijing with Beijing being a city with the wester model of expansion and Bangkok the city without the model.
Beijing
The creation of the Dashanzi demonstrates the economic and cultural influences in Beijing as a urban region with a post-industrial development on the society in China (Markin, 2010). The numerous efforts put in place towards the preservation of the industrial area and usage of cultural policy in projecting a major city reflects the effects of the contamination of the gentrification in the society residing in the city. Beijing suffers a similar form of gentrification as that of New York and London with significant problems of urban transition from the industrial production to one of a cultural consumption with Beijing lacking the space to cater for all these societies (Markin, 2010).
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The late 20th century insisted on bringing forth the new wave of globalization that places emphasis on industries of service in the urban centres which have a huge role in both the structural and spatial reorganization of the cultural and industrial production. The city has soon run out of space to handle the influx of new cultures and societies and the result is an excessive population pressure with a mixture of cultures not knowing how best to fit with each other (Kinsella, 2001).
Bangkok
Indeed, statistics insist that Bangkok has grown in size over the past decades. However, the growth is seemed to be positive as the city urbanizes and expands in its own course distinct from the model of the western cities. The Bangkok is soon to be replaced by the Extended Bangkok Metropolitan Region in its expansion over the coming years considering that its growth reflects the growth of Thailand (Kinsella, 2001). Bangkok enjoys significant positives with its model of growth and expansion with a good number of its residents generating more than 50% of the GDP. It thus has a low level of poverty judging from the statistics that suggest its per capita GDP is the highest in the country (nationsonline.org, 2016).
Bangkok has grown as an industrial city but leaves spaces for the rural settlements that create a balance between the urban centre and the residential areas (Chung, 2009). In this regard, the city has managed to maintain its cultural balance as the mixture comprises of the rural residents and those that come to the city to seek employment and other economic opportunities (Zhao, 2010). The city further offers proximity to the first phase industrialization thus is able to absorb large populations moving into the city in the industrial area hence allows the government to build a modern infrastructure that allows the large population to operate effectively (nationsonline.org, 2016).
It is well to insist that the western model of expansion can harm a city and its populace if the city mismatches the model with its cultural attributes. Beijing shows a good example of problems that may emanate from such a model with the most overt one being the population pressure on the city.
References
Chung, J. Y., Honda, Y., Hong, Y. C., Pan, X. C., Guo, Y. L., & Kim, H. (2009). Ambient temperature and mortality: an international study in four capital cities of East Asia. Science of the total environment, 408(2), 390-396.
Edensor, T., & Jayne, M. (Eds.). (2012). Urban theory beyond the West: a world of cities. Routledge.
Kinsella, K. (2001). Urban and rural dimensions of global population aging: An overview. The Journal of Rural Health, 17(4), 314-322.
Markin, P. (2010). Pablo Markin's Research Notes on Art Museums and Biennials. Pablomarkin.blogspot.co.ke. Retrieved 5 October 2017, from http://pablomarkin.blogspot.co.ke/
nationsonline.org, k. (2016). The Most Populated Cities of the World. World Megacities - Nations Online Project. Nationsonline.org. Retrieved 5 October 2017, from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/bigcities.htm
Zhao, S. (2010). The China Model: can it replace the Western model of modernization?. Journal of contemporary China, 19(65), 419-436.
