Abstract
Growth in motor vehicle ownership and use is often seen as ans inevitable outcome of increasing GDP and incomes. This paper reviews the range of modal orientations of contemporary metropolitan areas and uses case studies from China, Japan and Indonesia to illustrate how motorization is influenced by public policies regarding street-space allocation and use, transportation subsidies and transportation system investments, which in turn are influenced by both domestic and international commercial relations. Policies adopted across much of Asia are today promoting rapid motorization and the destruction of economically and environmentally sustainable low-cost non-motorized transportation modes.