About Future Southeast Asia

Hi, my name is James Clark. I’m the founder of Future Southeast Asia - a guide to transport and urban development in Southeast Asia.

The Future Southeast Asia Newsletter is the most comprehensive site for news about modern Southeast Asia, presented in an easy-to-read and entertaining format.

News topics include transport, construction, infrastructure, urban development, and heritage conservation.

Subscribing to the Future Southeast Asia Newsletter is the best way to keep up to date with the latest articles and news around the region.

Free or paid subscription

The Future Southeast Asia Newsletter offers a free or paid subscription alternative.

The free subscription is a weekly newsletter that goes out every Wednesday. It features a summary of the latest posts at Future Southeast Asia and updates on old posts. This newsletter also features a roundup of the latest news in the region related to construction, transport, and infrastructure.

The paid subscription gives you access to my "Dispatches from Southeast Asia". This is a micro-blog of editorial comments and trip reports not featured publicly on futuresoutheastasia.com.

With these private posts, you will get to see behind the scenes of this site and other observations from the road which may not be suitable for public publication.

Above all, a paid subscription is the easiest way to support my work on this site. Many hours go into the research and writing of articles every week, which is financially supported by subscribers.

[The proposed Long Thanh International Airport in Vietnam.]

What to expect at Future Southeast Asia

Here is a sample of some of the topics that are covered at Future Southeast Asia.

Future City Series

[Bukit Bintang City Centre, featured at Future Kuala Lumpur.]

The Future City series compiles projects in major cities in Southeast Asia. The lists give an overview of major projects that are planned or under construction.

Project Factsheets

[Factsheet for the One Bangkok development in the Lumphini area of Bangkok.]

If you have ever looked for information on a big project, the search results can often be awash with the same information, or from sites that only look to sell property for a commission.

The factsheets compile all known information and resources for major projects. These pages list all information (good and bad), giving you an overview of the history of the project, without it being a sales pitch.

Public Transport

[Construction of the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City.]

Concept Maps

[Ho Chi Minh City Metro Concept Map.]

One of my side projects has been to make railway maps in Asia. The map featured here is a concept map of an expanded Ho Chi Minh City Metro (called “if Saigon had a subway like Shanghai”).

Editorial Articles

Editorial articles include topics such as ideas to improve Saigon, and an analysis of Vietnam’s aviation market.

Southeast Asia Railways News

[Map of current and proposed railways of Southeast Asia.]

Before I began Living In Asia I was writing about new railways in Southeast Asia at Nomadic Notes. On that site, I made a map of current and proposed railways of Southeast Asia.

I’ve since moved my infrastructure writing here at Future Southeast Asia, and I am following the progress of railways under construction (such as the China-Laos railway).

[China-Laos railway construction site in Luang Prabang.]

Heritage Conservation

A topic I plan to cover more of in the future is heritage conservation, especially in Southeast Asia.

About me

[James at the Bang Sue Grand Central Station construction site in Bangkok.]

I’m a travel writer and online publisher, and I have been a digital nomad since 2003.

I publish a travel blog at Nomadic Notes which has been online since 2009. I’ve been based in Southeast Asia since 2010, where I have been following urban planning and transport development in the region.

Join the community

Whether you’re a construction or transport professional, an infrastructure nerd, a trainspotter, or just love the big, crazy cities of Southeast Asia, subscribe to Future Southeast Asia and join the community.