From the Sudirman Central Business District in Jakarta to Pudong in Shanghai, the master planners of the world are conceiving new city developments for the emerging economies of Asia. These cities are grand in vision and architectural design, spacious in plan with abundant green space, modern masterpieces replacing the old Asian slums, creating, according to the Shanghai Municipal Housing Development Bureau “a grand symphony”. Do these grand plans translate into good urban habitat, places for people to live, work and recreate, do those that hold the future of the Asian cities need to change their approach to the development of their cities?