Bangkok, Thailand: Successful participatory workshop motivates local community to get involved in Transit-Oriented Development Plan preparation

The project gained comprehensive and insightful data from stakeholders which is useful for developing the TOD Vision of this project.

It was found that 73% of attendants (who participated in the brief survey) expressed they believe that their personal and their community's views will be heard and represented in public consultations and decisions about urban development in their neighbourhood, particularly related to access to public transport.

The survey indicated that attendants had a satisfaction level of 83% (average score of 4.16 out of 5 points) of their participation in the 1st participatory workshop of the TOD Plan Project. The survey results also showed that 81% of attendants felt that this workshop encouraged them to get more involved and learn more about the TOD Plan in their neighbourhood.

Various presenters at the workshop on 24 March 2021

Break-out session at the workshop (31 March 2021)

The 1st participatory workshop of the TODP project was conducted in 2 rounds on 24th and 31st March 2021. During this period Bangkok was experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 outbreaks, but physical meetings were still possible, provided that appropriate safety measures were in place. To comply with the regulations and recommendations of the Disease Control Department of Thailand, the project placed thermal scan equipment for body temperature screening at the registration desk/entrance and provided alcohol-based hand sanitiser for all participants. In addition, aerosol disinfectant spraying was set up at the entrance of the venue. All participants were asked to wear a face mask.

A total of 93 attendants from the local community and stakeholders’ organisations attended this participatory workshop. Among the attendees, 43 persons represented governmental organisations (from the local and national level), 11 persons came from the private sector, 13 persons from CBOs or NGOs, and 26 persons from local schools. A representative from the BTS SkyTrain company attended the workshop on 31st of March. The participants covered a wide range of ages, from students below 20 to seniors over 60 years of age. Female participants made slightly more than half of the total.

The project team conducted a brief survey to assess the satisfaction level of the participants and to collect data for indicators included in the project’s logical framework. A total of 48 respondents participated in this survey, of which 62% were female. The survey analysis indicated that most attendees had mixed views on the existing public transport in their neighbourhood ("Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied") with an average score of 3.2 points out of 5. Male attendants expressed a higher satisfaction level than female ones.

The opinions of stakeholders gained from this workshop are remarkably comprehensive and insightful. First, focussing on the theme “Cultural Heritage”, most participants acknowledged local cultural assets and anticipate a great variety of development. At the same time, they are aware of the weaknesses, such as narrow streets and alleys, Second, related to the theme “Health and Wellness”, most participants mentioned the lack of green spaces and parks for recreational activities. Third, concentrating on “Community and Collaboration”, many participants foresee their neighbourhood to be more commercially driven, especially the younger generation. In the long term, they aspire to see an equitable central hub to connect all modes of transportation. Renewable energy utilisation, universal design access, and environmental pollution reduction are required to be integrated in the future. At the same time, they raised concerns about the lack of locality or authenticity, if the development will be too strongly profit-oriented. Therefore, all the participants emphasised that inclusive city planning is essential.

Authors:

Tridti Patarakiatsan, Team Lead, GFCP Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Plan

Adisak Rujiranupong, Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation and Learning (MREL) Officer, GFCP Thailand Country Team