Industry, water and people in greater Bangkok : a case study of Samut Prakan

Abstract

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 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.