Abeokuta is the largest urban centre and capital of Ogun State, located in the South West Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria. Ogun State lies to the north of Lagos State, to the west of Ondo State, and to the south of Oyo State and Osun State. Abeokuta is built in the centre of the Lagos-Ibadan extended urban region or conurbation, and forms part of the larger metropolitan economic area. This strategic location, matched with the presence of diverse local resources, rapid population growth and enhanced political status has generated dynamic economic activities.

Designated as a catalyst development corridor, Iskandar Malaysia is one of Malaysia’s fastest growing areas in terms of population and economic activity. By 2025, the population is expected to have doubled from 1.6 million in 2006 to 3 million, whilst the GDP is expected to grow at an annual rate of change of 6 per cent. Established in 2006, Iskandar Malaysia was largely funded by the federal government’s investment arm, Kazanah Nasional Berhad.

Melaka State is strategically located on the southwestern coast of the Malaysian peninsula, facing the Straight of Melaka. It lies between the capital, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru, which connects to Singapore. Melaka State has a population of 910,000 and an average annual population growth rate of 1.3%.

The city of Surabaya, capital of East Java Province, is the second-largest city of Indonesia following Jakarta, the national capital. Surabaya is located at the mouth of the River Mas facing the Madura Island. Surabaya has an annual population growth rate of 0.65 per cent and a population of approximately 3.09 million people in 2018. The city has a population density of 8,458 person per km2 and is highly urbanized. The city’s borders encapsulate an area of 350 km2, divided into 31 districts (kecamatan) and 154 sub-districts (kelurahan).

Bandung is the capital of West Java Province and is the fourth-largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan with 2.5 million inhabitants. Its metropolitan area, Greater Bandung (Bandung Raya), or is also known in different name as Bandung Basin (Cekungan Bandung), consist of the Municipalities of Bandung and Cimahi and three regencies (Bandung, West Bandung and Sumedang). This metropolitan area  is the third-largest metropolitan area in the country with a population of more than 8.5 million inhabitants.

Recife is a coastal city located in the northeast region of Brazil. With a population of 1.5 million inhabitants,it is the ninth largest city in Brazil. Recife is the major city on the Recife Metropolitan Region (RMR), which is composed of 15 municipalities (Goiana, one of the 15 municipalities, joined the administrative region in 2018).

Belo Horizonte is the sixth-largest city in Brazil and is embedded within the third-largest metropolitan area. It is in the state of Minas Gerais; that, together with the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, forms the richest and most urbanised area of the country, where 43 per cent of the national population lives. This area hosts one of the most developed transport infrastructure systems (highways, railways, airports and ports) of South America.