Thus, in order to attract and retain the very people who are essential for city competitiveness, Asian cities will have to prematurely invest in world class facilities at much lower average income levels.
The most competitive of Asian cities have clearly recognized this as is evident in cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul, with Bangkok fast attempting to catch up. The task for policy makers for managing Asian urbanisation in the next thirty years is therefore more complex than in the previous fifty.