Douglas Webster

Douglas Webster is a Professor at Arizona State University's School of Politics and Global Studies and an Affiliate Global Futures Scholar with the Center for Asian Research. His academic career spans over thirty-five years with significant contributions to urban planning and development, particularly in East Asia but also extending to Latin America, Africa, and North America.

Webster received his Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley. His educational background has provided the foundation for his extensive work on urban development issues across multiple continents.

Professor Webster's research focuses on comparative city building processes, examining how cities develop differently across jurisdictions and cultures. His specific interests include urban form and dynamics, urban competitiveness and resilience, and peri-urbanization (the expansion of urban development onto city fringes worldwide). Geographically, his work centers on East Asia, with current projects examining China's One Belt One Road Strategy impact on the Greater Mekong Subregion, peri-urbanization in China and Thailand, urban resiliency in the Greater Mekong Subregion, and the future of Dhaka Megapolitan Region in Bangladesh. He is currently co-authoring a book on Chinese urban futures based on two decades of fieldwork.

Webster's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output with a clear thematic focus on urban development in Asia. His recent work shows increasing attention to China's urbanization patterns, peri-urban dynamics, and climate adaptation in Southeast Asian cities. The publications reveal a methodological diversity including comparative analysis, census data interpretation, and case studies of specific metropolitan regions.

Throughout his career, Webster has maintained significant professional service, including editorial board memberships for journals like the Journal of Urban Management and Space/Ruang, and committee service at ASU including the Graduate Admissions Committee and Tenure Promotion Committee. His professional network extends to international organizations including the World Bank, where he has served as a consultant on urban development issues.

Professor Webster has previously held academic positions at Stanford University (as a Senior Consulting Professor), University of British Columbia, Asian Institute of Technology, Utrecht University, and the University of Calgary. He served as Senior Urban Advisor to the Thai Government from 1993 to 1998 and was an early-career staff member at the World Bank based in Malaysia. His extensive consulting work with international organizations and private corporations has informed his academic research and vice versa.