 | Planning for Water Security in Southeast Asia: Community-Based Infrastructure During the Urban Transition The central premise of the book, as well as the key lesson for readers is that infrastructure is the backbone of democracy. Without it, the process of collective governance fades beyond the immediacy of daily life. Using this premise, the book describes several case studies from Southeast Asia - rapidly urbanizing communities in Gresik, Indonesia; Can Tho, Viet Nam; Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Ha Noi, Viet Nam -that illustrate the embeddedness of highly localized governance structures in the built infrastructure. These four case studies illustrating similar community phenomena across differing social, political, and cultural context will encourage readers to consider the material, built environment stakes underlying participatory democracy as well as the importance of democratic participation in the visioning, building and management of large-scale urban projects. James Nguyen H. Spencer is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Political Science who is currently the Vice-Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at Louisiana State University. His work in planning and public administration work in Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia date to 1989 and span a period of transformational change in the region. |
