REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND PRACTICE: Contemporary Issues in South Asia

Book Details

• Publisher: Springer

• Author: Mukunda Mishra, R.B. Singh, Andrews José de Lucena, Soumendu Chatterjee (Eds.)

• Language: English

• Edition: 2023

• ISBN: 9789819901753

• Pages: 462

• Cover: Hardback

About the Book

This comprehensive volume delves into the theoretical frameworks, empirical insights, and practical approaches to regional development, with a strong emphasis on sustainability. It presents a wide array of analytical notes and scientific commentaries that explore innovative methodologies for regional planning, development metrics, and policy implications. Rooted in the geographer’s lens, the book conceptualizes development as a spatially-bound process, critically examining how regions function both as units of statistical analysis and as platforms for management and governance.

Through detailed discussions on formal and functional regions, the work emphasizes how regional planning becomes essential for implementing sustainable spatial policies. Covering global examples with a particular focus on South Asia, this volume addresses regional disparities, environmental challenges, urban issues, migration, and livelihood vulnerabilities. The thematic structure is divided into five parts: Sustainable Regional Development, South-Asian Experiences, Regional Imbalance in India, Urban Dimensions of Regional Development, and Challenges and Options of Sustainable Livelihood. Each section presents rigorously researched case studies and policy-oriented perspectives by leading academics and field experts.

From climate change impacts in Bangladesh and erosion-induced displacement to aspirational district programs and gender inequality suppression in India, the book provides a holistic view of the multidimensional challenges and pathways in regional development. Urban issues such as housing, sanitation, and heat island effects are also explored through a geospatial and policy-driven approach.

A key resource for socio-economic planners, researchers, policymakers, and academicians, this book bridges theory and practice with a global outlook and regional specificity.

About the Editors

Mukunda Mishra is an Assistant Professor and Vice Principal at Dr. Meghnad Saha College, affiliated with the University of Gour Banga, West Bengal. With a Ph.D. in Geography from Vidyasagar University, he specializes in human development disparities and predictive modeling. Dr. Mishra has authored one monograph, co-edited two research volumes, and published over twenty-five articles. He also serves as Managing Editor of Ensemble, a UGC-CARE listed journal.

R.B. Singh, former Professor at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, is the Secretary General of the International Geographical Union and a key figure in several scientific committees. An eminent scholar, he has authored and edited over 50 books and published 240+ research papers, guiding numerous Ph.D. and M.Phil. scholars in the process.

Andrews José de Lucena, Associate Professor at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, focuses on urban climatology, atmospheric modeling, and environmental science. He leads multiple research laboratories and has developed long-term urban climate datasets for Rio de Janeiro.

Soumendu Chatterjee, Professor and Head of Geography at Presidency University, Kolkata, is a veteran educator and researcher in geographical sciences. With over 100 scholarly publications and numerous research projects to his name, he continues to pioneer work in both physical and human geography through scientific modeling and policy-driven inquiry.