Development Praxis

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗦?

As Southeast Asia’s capital cities continue to experience rapid urbanization and population growth, how much lush greenery still remains within these expanding urban landscapes?

Here’s a visualization showing how much of the capital cities are still covered with forests, grasslands, or with considerable vegetation as of 2025, based on the latest update from the Esri Sentinel-2 10m Land Use/Land Cover data.

Greenery coverage across the 10 ASEAN capital cities varies greatly. Naypyidaw and Vientiane remain among the greenest, while densely populated capitals such as Jakarta and are already heavily built up with buildings, roads, and other infrastructure.

Urban forests and vegetation play a crucial role in reducing heat, improving air quality, and protecting water resources, helping make cities more livable and resilient.

Long-term efforts, such as in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, to restore and expand green spaces are already delivering benefits to residents, from cooler surroundings to healthier urban environments.

As Editor of the Journal of Asian Studies, Joseph Alter sees hundreds of submissions every year—more than almost anyone else in the field, he knows what's happening in and how our field makes vital contributions to greater understanding of the world.

UGAT is pleased to announce the opening of the Call for Proposals for our 48th Annual International Conference, with the theme “Katawhan, Kaugnayan, Kailian: Aghamtao ng mga Ugnayan | Anthropology of Relationalities.”

The conference will be held on November 18–21, 2026 at Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Philippines.

For details and submissions, please visit our official conference page:
https://www.ugat-aghamtao.org/48th-conference-2026

Please share, mga ka-UGAT!


Poster credits: Kyle Pontillo, Ulma de la Peña, Vincent Balustre