ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to highlight the issues to be faced in building an integrated strategic framework for the study of sustainable regional development. It presents two case studies. The first study of Shanghai and the lower Yangtze delta region reflects the experience of an old urban region amidst the challenge of restructuring in a more sustainable manner. The second case of the Pearl River Delta region exemplifies the tensions evident in regions un dergoing rapid industrialisation of an unsustainable nature. The chapter describes the nature and characteristics of economic development in both delta regions. The launching of the Pudong New District in Shanghai aims to revitalise the economy in Shanghai as well as the lower Yangtze Delta region. Environmental degradation is another development concern in the Yang tze delta region. The economic success of the Yangtze delta region largely hinges on the promotion of township enterprises during the early years of ‘economic reforms and open policy’.
