URBAN CHOREOGRAPHIES BANGKOK'S CATALYSTS TRANSFORM NEIGHBOURHOODS

Abstract

In Bangkok, under-regulated land use has intensified the pattern of mixed economic functions and led to uncontrolled densification and expansion of the city along its major roads and in high-rise developments. Despite rapid urban transformation and accelerated economic transitions, some inner-city neighbourhoods have maintained their spatial richness through more gradual densification. To analyse these neighbourhoods’ changes, urban qualities, key actors and transformation strategies, this research combines quantitative and qualitative methods. The examination of the significant drivers of change, urban catalysts in the form of small institutions with community characteristics (families) and social bonds (guanxi) which turn into business and policy coalitions revealed that they institute a building culture, which is flexible and adaptable to fast-changing conditions. Moreover, their interdependencies concurrently establish resilience against abrupt changes. Contributing to a more detailed neighbourhood-understanding, this research provides an informed basis for future planning practices in Bangkok and similar transient East Asian urban contexts.