The Centre for Liveable Cities and the ASEAN Studies Centre initiated a series of three regional workshops in December 2009 that brought together experts, academics, and practitioners from Southeast Asian countries to discuss urbanization issues in the region, particularly the challenges and prospects for regional collaboration on this matter. The regional workshops would not have been possible without the keen interest and enthusiasm of Andrew Tan, who headed the Centre for Liveable Cities at the time, and who first mooted the idea of convening the workshop series to find a pathway towards closer collaboration in the region's actions and responses on this issue.

Through the workshops, we attempted to identify priority issues that Southeast Asia — and ASEAN member states — need to tackle to ensure that urbanization occurs as an integral part of regional efforts to realize the open, dynamic and resilient ASEAN Community envisioned by leaders of ASEAN. When the workshops concluded in July 2010, ASEAN's efforts for greater connectivity among and within its member states provided an additional impetus for our suggestions to facilitate closer partnerships among ASEAN member states to address urbanization concerns that would inevitably arise from greater regional connectivity.

The workshop recommendations, which were brought to the attention of high- and working-level ASEAN meetings, support the larger strategic objectives of ASEAN community building. Papers presented at the workshop have been developed into thoughtful contributions to help policymakers understand what we as a region face in addressing challenges associated with rapid urbanization, and also identify, for ASEAN as a collective, opportunities to overcome these challenges and enhance the region's prospects.

The ASEAN Studies Centre hopes that this publication will be the catalyst for similar exercises that assist responses to urbanization concerns at the regional and national levels in ASEAN. At the very least, the workshops have created a space for discussion and debate on what countries face in addressing urbanization in their local context. Information sharing will help further identify and clarify concerns that merit closer attention.