Patch Urbanism: Towards an Integrated Theoretical Framework for Examining Spatial and Temporal Dynamics in the Asian Rice Belt
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2025
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Hawken, S.
Isendahl, C.
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Urban Studies, 2025
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Scott Hawken, Christian Isendahl
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Despite structuring most of the urban world today, the deep history and long-term relationship between agricultural and urban spaces have been overlooked and undervalued in the Urbanocene. This paper introduces a novel theory and method we term “patch urbanism” to explore long-term relationships between settlement form and productive agricultural landscapes. We highlight the significance of such relationships in structuring extended urban regions throughout South, Southeast, and East Asia today. Specifically, we examine the concept of patch urbanism in the context of Southeast Asia’s desakota landscapes using the largest city of the preindustrial world, Angkor, as an in-depth case study. By mapping and critically analysing archaeological features that structure current landscapes through modes of path dependency we challenge dominant urban theories and the presentist bias in much urban studies research by emphasizing the enduring spatial patterns across diverse cultural contexts, contradicting the notion that such patchy landscapes are inherently unsustainable, transient, or merely transitional phases towards more centralized urban forms. The concept of patch urbanism offers a valuable lens for analysing and promoting sustainable transitions in urban regions, particularly in the context of Southeast Asia. This perspective challenges dominant urban theories by emphasizing the historical resilience and ecological potential of dispersed urban forms. By embracing blue, black, and green infrastructures, decentralized realities, and adaptive rather than idealized approaches, patch urbanism provides an alternative framework for shaping sustainable and resilient cities of the future.
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Article first published online: September 28, 2025.
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© Urban Studies Journal Limited 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).