Architectural Development under the Global North-South Divide: Hybrid Strategies for Asian Megacities and AI-Enabled Tracing

Weijun Gao; Didit Novianto

doi:10.2991/978-94-6239-632-6_24

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Architectural Development under the Global North-South Divide: Hybrid Strategies for Asian Megacities and AI-Enabled Tracing

Authors

Weijun Gao¹^{, 2}^{, 3}^{, 4}^{, 5}^{, 6}, Didit Novianto⁷^{, *}

¹Adjunct Professor, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Surabaya, Indonesia

²Member of the Engineering Academy of Japan, Professor at the University of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu, Japan

³Distinguished Professor at Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, China

⁴Adjunct Professor at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

⁵Adjunct Professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

⁶Doctoral Supervisor in Urban Planning and Design, School of Innovative Design, City University of Macau, Macau, China

⁷Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Surabaya, Indonesia

^*Corresponding author. Email: didit.novianto@its.ac.id

Corresponding Author

Didit Novianto

Available Online 13 April 2026.

DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-632-6_24 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: Global north-south divide; Asian megacities; Infrastructure inequality; Hybrid architectural space; Passive design
Abstract: Asian megacities sit at the sharp edge of the global North–South divide: they concentrate population and economic activity yet often lack the infrastructure capacity that comparable urban regions in the Global North take for granted. This paper synthesizes recent evidence on (i) urbanization trajectories, (ii) infrastructure inequality, (iii) urban carbon footprints, and (iv) the risk stack of congestion, heat stress, and pollution that compounds daily life in many cities of the Global South. Building on this diagnosis, we propose a hybrid architectural–urban response framework that treats “in‑between” spatial thresholds, passive-to-active environmental systems, and distributed energy–water loops as scalable levers for resilient modernization in marginal contexts. Finally, we outline an AI-enabled workflow for tracing architectural works and monitoring urban transformation (from street-view and aerial imagery to heritage inventories and change detection) to support conservation, planning, and equitable upgrading. The contribution is a position-and-framework paper: it does not claim a single solution but offers a structured menu of design and governance moves that can be adapted across climate zones, settlement types, and resource constraints.
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title: Proceedings of the International Conference on Architectural Research and Design (ARDC 2025)
Series: Atlantis Highlights in Social Sciences, Education and Humanities
Publication Date: 13 April 2026
ISBN: 978-94-6239-632-6
ISSN: 2667-128X
DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-632-6_24 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

ris enw bib

TY  - CONF
AU  - Weijun Gao
AU  - Didit Novianto
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/13
TI  - Architectural Development under the Global North-South Divide: Hybrid Strategies for Asian Megacities and AI-Enabled Tracing
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Architectural Research and Design (ARDC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 389
EP  - 398
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-632-6_24
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-632-6_24
ID  - Gao2026
ER  -

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