Rattanakosin plan poses threat

Rattanakosin plan poses threat

Rattanakosin Island, a term originating from Bangkok's 18th century founding days, includes the Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) and many of the historic buildings of 'old town'.
Rattanakosin Island, a term originating from Bangkok's 18th century founding days, includes the Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) and many of the historic buildings of 'old town'.

In a quiet, hush-hush move, the authorities have dusted off the Rattanakosin conservation and development master plan to turn Bangkok's inner, old town quarters into Thailand's own Champs-Elysee.

According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which is resurrecting the conservation blueprint, the plan has been tabled before the Office of Economic and Social Development Board for consideration before going to the cabinet for final approval.

This revised version of the 1997 formula is based on the idea that Bangkok's old town circle must be open space, and that means large parts of the capital city must be vacated to reduce crowds. Even though the plan has not been fully implemented yet, some parts of it have already been carried out and, as a result, some state agencies, as well as people in old communities including Mahakan Fort, were relocated. In the case of the Mahakan community, old structures were bulldozed and replaced with a green lawn while several mature trees were brutally felled.

The relocation of state agencies in the past has included the Department of Lands, the Commerce Ministry, as well as the Civil and Criminal Courts.

According to news reports in Prachachat, this revised document was put together in an architectural sense by teams of Chulalongkorn University academics.

A senior official at the BMA's Town Planning Department said the Rattanakosin master plan will go hand in hand with the 2032 Bangkok Vision with an aspiration to make Bangkok the "Metropolitan hub of Asia", a regional economic and tourism powerhouse.

Stiff building control measures will be stipulated, he said, meaning a strict ban on high-rise buildings. It will also go into detail about paint colours -- all the buildings on the Ratchadamnoen Avenue will be painted with either yellow or grey, while only one colour, dark red, is allowed for the roof.

More importantly, the designated conservation area will go beyond old town quarters in Phra Nakhon district, and will expand to cover parts of Thon Buri on the other side of the Chao Phraya River.

The official said state agencies will have to fall in line and move their offices too. The next to go are the Interior Ministry, the Tourism and Sports Ministry, and some others. The BMA will also be relocated to a plot in Din Daeng area, while its old premises will be turned into a city museum. Yet the plan has faced criticism. Some scholars have questioned the rationale of its top-down approach. Some even ridiculed it, saying it will turn Bangkok into a theme park and threatens to destroy the cultural diversity that has made the city so renowned over the past centuries.

Those involved in the process must be made aware that development must be more people-centric. The top-down approach will do more harm than good, not just in terms of the conservation of the city but also for its future development. In addition, it's necessary that those officials who are part of the drafting team take heed of lessons learned when a partial relocation of state agencies took place in the past. It's undeniable that the removal such large organisational hubs has as an adverse impact on the economy of an area. Some have been lucky only to lose their vibrancy; others suffered the kiss of death. Local vendors and businesses have been forced to close after the areas become more scarcely populated in accordance with the Rattanakosin committee's agenda. There are also reports that some roads have become more dangerous at night, with reports of crime on the deserted streets rising.

In fact, a master plan that sets a development direction is good. But the process must be participatory. The public has to be involved at all levels of the process, and those who will be directly affected must be given a voice.

At this stage, the authorities, in particular the Committee for the Conservation of Rattanakosin and Old Towns, must set up a dialogue with the people who are stakeholders regarding how the plan will affect them and their communities. Without this, more old communities will be uprooted, and the inevitable gentrification will only further widen the gap, both physically and financially, between the rich and the poor in the city.

Under the military regime, some authorities may have been led to believe that they can push through questionable projects without public consent. However, such thinking should no longer be acceptable. While the authorities and the Chulalongkorn teams may mean well in pursuing their version of urban idealism, they must do more to clear the stage for public consultation, if not a full public hearing. There is no place for an outmoded top-down development paradigm that only leads to discord, resistance and, ultimately, failure.

In short, any plans that will affect large groups of people require thorough debate and discussion. And Thailand's version of the Champs-Elysee should be no exception. The dialogue must start now.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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