Highways rolled out across cityscapes. It took the economic crisis of the late 1990s to slow the relentless march of glass and concrete blocks in Asia. Then and Now. Peter Walker . Singapore's Thian Hock Keng Temple.
Poverty affords a degree of protection, especially in smaller centers.
Pingyao in China and Hoi An in Vietnam are good examples, as their stories in subsequent pages show. In major cities, economic pressures mean conservationists have a far tougher fight to preserve traditional cores. Large swathes of its ancient alleyways and courtyard homes are being flattened to make way for shopping malls and condominiums. Many inhabitants are happy to leave their rickety homes for newer dwellings with modern conveniences. But it doesn't always work out that way.