Exploring indigeneity of Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) in Asia: case studies of Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia

River-based cities are now capitalizing on the potential of their bodies of water to serve as critical transportation networks to complement land-based transport. For these cities, their water tributaries have historically served as commuter rivers to accommodate indigenous, inland water transport modes (IWTs). Despite its potential to support local economic development, scholarly literature on IWTs has remained fragmented and scant. This paper redresses this gap by exploring IWTs in four developing country-cases in Southeast Asia, to gain a better understanding of their role, function and use within the overall transport system. Using a case study approach, this paper starts by formulating an indigenous IWT framework. This framework is then used to assess IWTs. Results have shown that the levels of indigeneity of IWTs may provide important insights to inform the development of IWTs as a crucial component in developing an integrated, sustainable transport system in cities in developing Southeast Asia