ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters in the first part of this book. The part of the book examines the methodological challenges and urbanization in the region that would affect possibilities in the theorization of urbanization from the ground. It focuses on refining comparative research on urbanization in Brunei-Miri and Singapore-Iskandar Malaysia. The part demonstrates the possibilities of using remote sensing to address boundary issues in urbanization research. It also demonstrates the potential avenues in constructing urban theories from Southeast Asia. The part explores the methodological challenges in studying urbanization in Southeast Asia. It proposes addressing the problems by using satellite imagery to analyze urban growth. The part suggests aspiration and urban mobility as future-oriented concepts, which include four key strands: rural to urban migration and mobilities; migrants' remaking of themselves and city space; the middle class city; and increasingly global constitutive geographies of city transformation.
