Dilokwanich, Sittipong
Description
This thesis links the transformation of urban environment to city evolution
under different phases of capitalism. Soja's interpretation of city evolution based on
industrialisation and urban form was elaborated to include physical and social
environmental changes and illustrated in reference to three cities — Manchester as a
competitive industrial city (1840s-1910s), Chicago as a corporate-monopoly city
(1920s-1940s), and Tokyo as a state-managed city (1950s-1970s). Bangkok differed
from...[Show more] that prototype and exhibited three different phases of development — the post-
Sakdina city (1850s-1920s), the bureaucrat-managed city (1930s-1950s), and the
privatised city (1960s-1970s). Whereas economic turbulence and social unrest
underpinned Soja's model, political instability or power struggles was the main cause of
urban change in Bangkok.
Since the mid-1980s, the influx of direct foreign investment has poured into
Greater Bangkok sustaining the 'privatised' city. As it is difficult to investigate the
interrelationship between industry, water and community throughout Greater Bangkok,
a case study was undertaken of Amphoes Bang Pli and Bang Bo in Samut Prakan.
Rising investment resulted in rapid industrialisation and accelerated urbanisation which,
in turn, has led to a deterioration in surface water quality and harmed the pre-existing
peasant economy and society. With the support of the Thai State, private enterprise has
transformed a once pristine environment into built environment to extract profit without
investing in environmental protection and control.
The State and external pressure groups (i.e. superpower nations and
international financial organisations) have competed with each other to influence policy
making. Although the State is mainly responsible for urban maintenance and service,
Thailand's administrative structure and bureaucratic system have been major barriers to
better environmental management. The central government intervened in provincial
and local urban management to ensure either national economic and social development
guidelines were met or the needs of Cabinet were accommodated. However, no one
can benefit from the privatised city if the urban environment continues to deteriorate at
an accelerating rate.
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