If neighbourhoods are more active in their capacity to engage city governments, it is because of political developments in this region of the world. Within Pacific Asia, South Korea and Taiwan, currently represent a historical moment in which democracy, place, and politics matter more than ever before (Park, 2008; Read, 2012; Chuang, 2013).

In the context of Pacific Asia, it is important to note the role of the state in economic development. Rodan (1996: 4) calls the state the “Midwife” of industrial capitalism in the countries of Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Scholarship has shifted in the three decades since the developmental states literature emerged. Much of the rethinking has to do with the changing economic role of the state as well as the growing democracy movements in East Asia, particularly South Korea and Taiwan.

Cities as Engines for Growth and Loci for Consumption

Scott and Storper (2015:6) highlighted the role of economic synergies in explaining the foundation and growth of cities. These synergies are subsumed under the concept of agglomeration and they cite Duranton and Puga's (2004) useful elaboration of agglomeration as involving the mechanisms of sharing, matching, and learning activities. Daniels, Ho, and Hutton (2012) noted how agglomeration mechanisms continue to play an important role in creating significant economic interdependences that favour the primate and capital cities of Pacific Asia.