Workshop AnnouncementRethinking Urbanization in Asia
Comparative Demographic Perspectives Using the Degree of Urbanization (DEGURBA)
Venue
Asian Demographic Research Institute (ADRI), Shanghai University
Organized by
Asian Demographic Research Institute (ADRI), Shanghai University
In collaboration with
European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
The Asian Demographic Research Institute (ADRI) at Shanghai University, in collaboration with the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), is pleased to announce the workshop “Rethinking Urbanization in Asia: Comparative Demographic Perspectives Using the Degree of Urbanization (DEGURBA),” to be held on 26–27 October 2026 in Shanghai.
The workshop follows the international DEGURBA training workshop held at ADRI in October 2025 and represents the next stage of this collaborative research initiative.
About the Workshop
Urbanization is one of the most profound demographic and spatial transformations shaping contemporary Asia. Yet meaningful comparisons across countries remain constrained by substantial differences in national definitions of urban and rural populations.
The Degree of Urbanization (DEGURBA) provides a harmonized approach based on population density, settlement size, and spatial contiguity, enabling more consistent comparisons of cities, towns and semi-dense areas, and rural areas across countries.
The workshop will bring together researchers participating in the ongoing comparative DEGURBA research initiative, along with invited experts, to present and discuss new empirical findings on urbanization in Asia and other regions of the world.
Particular attention will be given to differences between national urban definitions and DEGURBA-based classifications, diverse urbanization trajectories and settlement systems, and the demographic and development implications of changing spatial patterns.
Key Questions
The workshop will address questions including:
· How do DEGURBA-based estimates differ from national measures of urbanization across Asian countries?
· What do harmonized classifications reveal about cities, towns and semi-dense areas, peri-urbanization, dispersed settlement, and the changing rural–urban continuum?
· How are different patterns and trajectories of urbanization related to migration, population redistribution, fertility, aging, regional inequality, and socioeconomic development?
· How can population grids, census data, geospatial information, and other spatial-demographic data be integrated to improve comparative urbanization research?
· What new insights and research opportunities are emerging from the UN World Urbanization Prospects 2025 Revision?
Country and regional studies representing different stages and forms of urban transition across Asia and other regions will provide the empirical foundation for the workshop. By placing individual case studies within a common analytical framework, the workshop seeks to identify both shared patterns and distinctive pathways of urbanization and to explore what these differences imply for population and development.
From Country Studies to Comparative Research
An important objective of the workshop is to move beyond individual country applications of DEGURBA toward a more integrated comparative understanding of urbanization.
Participants will discuss common analytical approaches, methodological challenges, cross-country comparability, and opportunities for comparative and synthesis analyses.
The workshop will also contribute to the development of papers for the forthcoming Special Issue of China Population and Development Studies, “Rethinking Urbanization in Asia: Comparative Demographic Perspectives Using the Degree of Urbanization (DEGURBA).”
The Special Issue welcomes theoretically informed and empirically grounded research that connects the measurement of urbanization with broader population and development processes.
We look forward to welcoming colleagues to Shanghai for an engaging exchange on how harmonized spatial approaches can deepen our understanding of Asia’s changing urban landscape and its demographic and development implications.
Participation and Funding
Limited funding is available to support the participation of a small number of selected researchers, with priority given to researchers who participated in the 2025 DEGURBA training workshop and/or are actively involved in the collaborative DEGURBA research project.
Further information regarding the workshop program, presentation arrangements, and logistics will be circulated to participants.
Researchers interested in participating are invited to submit their paper or extended abstract and indicate any request for financial support to: