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International Area Studies Review
[ Article ]
International Area Studies Review - Vol. 28, No. 4, pp.405-423
ISSN: 2233-8659 (Print)
Print publication date 31 Dec 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.69473/iasr.2025.28.4.405

City-Driven Regionalism in Asia: From Nation-State Limits to Urban Leadership

Hyun-Chool Lee*
Political Science Department, Konkuk University, Republic of Korea

Correspondence to: *Email: lhc0609@konkuk.ac.kr

Abstract

As transboundary challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and large-scale disasters intensify, the limits of nation-state–centered governance have become increasingly evident—particularly in Asia, where supranational integration remains politically constrained. This paper proposes an alternative model of cooperation: city-driven regionalism. In particular, the rise of shrinking and rapidly ageing societies across Asia adds a demographic imperative for deeper, city-level cooperation, as many of the region’s most acute challenges—care systems, labor shortages, and fiscal sustainability—are now fundamentally urban and transboundary in nature.

Grounded in theories of multilevel governance, city diplomacy, and comparative regionalism, the study develops a conceptual framework that repositions cities as both horizontal connectors, fostering peer-to-peer innovation and solidarity, and vertical translators, linking local action with national and global agendas. Drawing on global initiatives such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, and the EU’s BiodiverCities program, the paper illustrates how transnational municipal networks enable cities to institutionalize sustainability cooperation.

Building on these insights, it outlines a governance model for a prospective Asian city community, featuring a City Charter, rotating City Assembly, Urban Secretariat, Thematic Clusters, Climate Impact Index, and Solidarity Fund. While respecting national sovereignty, the model promotes regional resilience, policy innovation, and bottom-up climate action. Conceptual in scope, the study provides a foundation for future empirical research and offers a distinctive Asian pathway for city-led regional governance.

Keywords:

City diplomacy, Multilevel governance, Transnational municipal networks, Urban climate governance, population ageing, Urban resilience, Asian regionalism

Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Yoji Sato, Chairman of the Eurasia Foundation (from Asia), for providing significant inspiration for this paper.

AI Acknowledgment

Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were not used in any way to prepare, write, or complete essential authoring tasks in this manuscript.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2025S1A5C2A02022297).

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