Strategic Urban Planning to Reduce Inequality and Strengthen Local Economies by Mr. Thapana Boonyaprawit

Background and Importance

         The Office of the National Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (NSTDA) has a policy to develop spatial mechanisms to create new options for stimulating local economic development based on area-specific research and knowledge in urban planning and design as utilized by leading economies. One of the development criteria includes Smart Growth Principles, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), and Form-Based Codes. These are intended as mechanisms to test urban revitalization planning and economic driving, with the expectation of creating a new urban development model (New Urban Development Platform) that integrates the aforementioned design standards with urban management mechanisms operated by the City Development Network (CDN) or Local Government Organizations (LGO) or educational institutions, leading to a standardized urban development model that can sustainably elevate the economy, driven by grassroots economic development starting from the neighborhoods and urban areas themselves.

         Currently, the responsibilities for urban development lie with various agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, the National Housing Authority, the National Economic and Social Development Board, Local Government Organizations, and agencies related to infrastructure development, such as several agencies under the Ministry of Transport. All these agencies play a significant role in urban development both directly and indirectly, as cities are areas where many people engage in activities that rely on economic, social, and recreational benefits. Therefore, cities must be managed in terms of planning, administration, and services to ensure that the population enjoys a good quality of life, with economic growth accompanying national development.

         However, the operations of many agencies for urban development may not achieve the objectives of sustainable development, safety, livability, and environmental friendliness due to a lack of standardized planning, leading to directionless strategies. The work of each sector often goes in different directions, lacking a common societal agreement and shared goals (Common Goal), collaborative planning for development direction, integration, and data exchange among all sectors. The government's operational model remains slow and unresponsive to the ever-changing global landscape. Physical development planning cannot promote and control urban expansion direction. Most development plans are based on past problems rather than future development strategies. Cities lack innovation or new tools that drive economic and social progress and foster creative development. Even infrastructure development, particularly transportation systems, primarily sees investment supporting road travel, which significantly promotes urban sprawl, causing cities to grow directionlessly. Additionally, it encourages the use of personal vehicles for commuting, exacerbating traffic issues and increasing household travel costs, or the road network planning remains incomplete and unintegrated with urban development. Importantly, there is a lack of development in rail transport systems, which are mass transit systems capable of accommodating large numbers of commuters, having high potential to reduce urban sprawl, define urban expansion directions, and directly influence changes in travel behavior and economic activity development, leading to sustainable development.

         From the above factors, it is evident that urban development in Thailand still lacks a clear direction, resulting in disorganized cities with urban sprawl extending in all directions along road networks or sporadic development of communities and economic activities. Cities exhibit high physical disarray, and citizens lack travel options, primarily relying on personal vehicles, leading to pollution problems and deteriorating urban environments. Urban and economic activities expand into unsuitable areas, encroaching on waterways and agricultural land. Directionless cities lead to inefficient infrastructure investment, ineffective use of infrastructure and utilities, and wasteful resource and energy consumption. Worst of all, urban sprawl has caused flooding disasters, with most issues arising from ineffective urban development planning known as unplanned cities in terms of physical and infrastructural aspects.

         Given the above, there is a necessity to rethink urban development mechanisms by planning strategic development with the correct and appropriate direction, selecting universal concepts, policies, measures, and planning mechanisms, as well as utilizing local development organizations, including city development companies, in collaboration with local government organizations, educational institutions, and various sectors to create urban development strategies and economic development processes that align with the area's roles, establishing a common approach that is consistent with global changes. It is believed that this will define the direction of economic growth and enhance the quality of life for citizens. The new urban development model mentioned is crucial for national development in the coming decade. The main concepts of the new urban development model include:

1) Applying Smart Growth Principles, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), and Form-Based Codes by integrating these criteria into a charter for urban development (National Charter) to create a mechanism for social collaboration, allowing all sectors to jointly plan urban and economic strategies and drive development together, which will enhance the potential and capacity to reduce urban sprawl and harness collective power to create a sustainable urban development direction.

2) Establishing the Thailand Planning Awards (TPA) as a standard model for urban and economic development planning, awarding urban developers and infrastructure projects that comply with standards. The TPA will set guidelines and indicators as new norms for planning and encourage government and private agencies to use them as development frameworks.

3) Integrating standards, mechanisms, and urban development tools according to Smart Growth criteria and the National Planning Awards into urban development plans in the form of a charter collaboratively developed by all sectors, with city development companies or local government organizations at the core, integrating the three components of the New Urban Development Platform for implementation as research projects.

The Office of the National Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council has supported the budget for the implementation of “Smart Growth for Area Development Mechanism of Urban Planning and Design toward Economic and Social Improvement (SG-ABC)” to test the potential of the mechanisms and tools mentioned in driving balanced development in terms of economy, environment, and quality of life with cooperation from all sectors.

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