Abstract
This chapter contends that efforts to reconsider the meaningfulness and current-day relevance of the concept of the Third World should include a reconsideration of the Third-World city. The focus is on the review and reconceptualisation of the role of the Third-World city in national development. The discussion considers cities and development in the period following the end of colonial rule, and then the more recent contribution and role of cities in the economic development of Third-World countries. In a broader context, this chapter also questions whether using the term ‘Third World’ in referring to cities in Asia, Africa and Latin America needs reassessment in the light of increasing similarities between cities everywhere: ‘In every First World city, there is a Third World city of malnutrition, infant mortality, unemployment and homelessness and in every Third World city there is First World city of high tech, high finance and high fashion.’1
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Notes and References
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Ooi, GL. (1998). Urbanisation and the Third-World City: The Need for a Reconsideration. In: Poku, N., Pettiford, L. (eds) Redefining the Third World. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-26966-2_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-26966-2_8
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