As we await the exciting Bangkok governor election on March 3, I have a dream that Bangkok will be full of trees and parks and have good public transport. I have a dream it will take me only 30 minutes (instead of one hour) to go to work and that I will have a choice not to drive to work.
I have a dream that we will have many self-contained communities where children need not commute so far to go to a good school and I need not drive so long to go to a nice park or a good hospital. I have a dream that Bangkok will have a great music and nightlife culture where I can get together with friends peacefully after work.
The latest global comparisons of cities in the Mercer Quality of Living Survey show the most liveable city in the world is Vienna, which ranks at the top for a fourth straight year, surpassing cities in Switzerland, Denmark and Germany.
The cities with the highest quality of living are mostly in Europe despite the ongoing economic crisis in the region. Among the top 10, three are in Switzerland, three in Germany, one in Denmark and one (the highest ranked) is in Austria. The other two cities in the top 10 are Vancouver, Canada and Auckland. Interestingly, most of these cities also have some of the best infrastructure in the world.
In Asia-Pacific, Auckland (No.3 overall) retains its position as the best in the region. In Southeast Asia, Singapore (25) ranks highest, followed by Kuala Lumpur (80), Bangkok (115), Manila (128), Jakarta (138) and Hanoi (147). Other major Asian cities in the top 100 include Tokyo (44), Kobe (48), Yokohama (49), Osaka (57), Hong Kong (70), Seoul (75), Taipei (85) and Shanghai (95).
Mercer's survey takes into account general safety and several other factors such as education, social security, standard of living and the number of public parks. New factors considered in the latest report include the quality of city infrastructure such as public transport and the level of congestion. Looking at these criteria, it probably is not surprising why Bangkok ranks below 100th place.
This week, official GDP figures revealed the Thai economy grew at a surprising 18.9% year-on-year in last year's fourth quarter or 6.4% for the whole of last year _ seeming to suggest that Thailand's economic recovery is strongly on track and the outlook is brightening.
Unlike many people, however, I do not usually wait anxiously for GDP figures. To me, GDP only represents the value of goods and services produced within a nation's boundaries. It does not measure things such as the condition of public infrastructure, progress in health and education, or happiness and leisure. And Bangkok, which accounts for about one-fourth of the country's GDP, remains a city with a poor quality of living when measured against its world peers. In this sense, the GDP is a terrible measure of things that really matter to an individual.
Making Bangkok a better place to live is not only good to individuals but also good for tourism revenue _ an important source of income for the country. In 2011, Thailand ranked 11th worldwide in terms of international tourism receipts and fourth in Asia behind China, Macau and Hong Kong. Last year, the number of foreign tourists reached a record high at 22.3 million, up by 16% and bringing in almost 1 trillion baht of revenue.
So this time it is important that we choose wisely who will be the new Bangkok governor. The election comes at a critical juncture when Thailand is trying to position itself as the centre of Asean, which is currently attracting global attention as integration under the Asean Economic Community approaches in 2016.
It is interesting to note that none of the political parties linked to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra _ Thai Rak Thai, People Power and Pheu Thai _ has won the Bangkok election even when they were in power. Despite winning the general elections to run the country, they have never won the local elections to run its biggest city.
According to most polls, this election is a close race between the ruling Pheu Thai and the opposition Democrat Party. In fact, it now appears Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen of Pheu Thai has become voters' first choice. His most popular promise is to ease traffic congestion.
Despite its many shortcomings, I love Bangkok. I believe the city has soul and charm that cannot be measured entirely by normal yardsticks. For example, although traffic and public transport are a major complaint, we can easily find a tuk tuk, minibus or taxi anywhere we want at a very low price.
Bangkok has the best food in the world, and good food is easy to find everywhere we go. Supermarkets are full of cheap local products and a wide variety of international cuisine. Housing in Bangkok is also amazing with a lot of vacancies, ranging from a 1,000-baht room to a 100,000-baht condo per month.
As a Bangkok resident, I look forward to a greener, better-planned and less congested capital. For eight years, the city has been run by Democrat governors. On March 3, Bangkokians will decide if they are happy with the Democrats' performance or whether the Pheu Thai candidate deserves a chance to deliver on his policy promises.
Dr Tientip Subhanij holds a PhD in economics from the University of Cambridge and currently has a dual career in banking and academia. She can be reached at tien201@yahoo.com