Most regions in Asia are undergoing the process of urbanization currently. Therefore, construction of human settlement environment with high cultural and ecological diversity is very important. In this study, characteristics of the human settlements in Southeast Asia were investigated. Based on the illustration of apparent aesthetic characteristics of architectures, the underlying ecological, sustainable and local properties were analyzed, and causes for its formation and development were studied deeply. Based on the investigation, we found that religious belief, insistence on traditional culture of local people, and comparatively backward economic development were the main reasons. This study is helpful for arouse attention of urban planners on ecological and cultural diversity of human settlements, which is aiming to provide solutions and suggestions to solve problems such as loss of cultural context and lack of spirit of place in the process of rapid urbanization in Asia.