Bangkok ' Grows Lungs ', Expands Green Zones

[webfact]

Bangkok 'grows lungs', expands green zones

BANGKOK, Oct 17 - The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the Thai capital’s city hall, has declared its success in creating green zones accessible to city residents during the past four years, according to a senior environment official.

Banjong Sookdee, director of the BMA Environment Department, said the original target was to increase green areas in Bangkok to 5,000 rai in four years but the BMA has achieved the goal by expanding its so-called ‘lung for breathing’ to 5,025 rai, an average of 4.73 sq/m per person.

The largest green area is in Lak Si district, averaging 16.30 sq/m/person, followed by Prawet district at 15.64 sq/m/person, followed by Thawi Watthana district at 13.40 sq/m/person.

City hall is developing a 100-rai public park in Bang Bon district due to finish next year, and another park at Vacharapol intersection on a 21-rai plot of land donated by the Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, he said.

The BMA is also in the process of leasing 70 rai of land from the Crown Property Bureau to develop as a public park.

The plan to create more green areas in Bangkok will not stop, he affirmed. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-17

[xen]

They have the Phra Pradang area that should have restricted development imposed on it and it is right in the centre of Bangkok. If it could be developed as a National Park without all the usual greed and corruption eating into it it would be an amazing asset to Bangkok .

[ricardofel]

Hahaha....green zones where you can breathe the carcinogenic fumes from trucks and cars & motorsais....what a joke.

[khunano]

Interesting mathematics here: 5025 rai x 1'600 m2 = 8'040'000 m2, if average is 4.73 sqm/person as stated in BMA's report Bangkok's population stands at only 1'699'788 persons. Assuming that at least 10 million people live in Bangkok average green area is less than a square metre per head.

However I am sure those tablets will help improve numeracy of future generations....

[Dap]

How nice to have some green areas to escape to when the cement just gets too hard on the brain.

A tip o' the hat to the BMA.

[Cardiff1963]

Well done BMA

[FNQ]

As you come off the Rama 7 bridge and come around the loop, the parking bay(s) are being used as an unoffical

(I think) Dump... Real Shame !

I agree that the green areas make a nice break from the Concrete Jungle.

[Morakot]

Interesting mathematics here: 5025 rai x 1'600 m2 = 8'040'000 m2, if average is 4.73 sqm/person as stated in BMA's report Bangkok's population stands at only 1'699'788 persons. Assuming that at least 10 million people live in Bangkok average green area is less than a square metre per head.

Well it was 8,280,925 in 2010. http://service.nso.go.th/nso/nso_center/project/table/files/C-pop/2553/000/00_C-pop_2553_000_010000_00100.xls So definitely not right this calculation.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Well it was 8,280,925 in 2010. http://service.nso.g...10000_00100.xls So definitely not right this calculation.

And my understanding is that the Thai government count is based on house registrations, which means all the upcountry especially Isaan who actually work and reside in Bangkok 90% of the year aren't counted.

If they did it by where you sleep most of the year that could IMO easily double the official number.

[planr]

Well it was 8,280,925 in 2010. http://service.nso.g...10000_00100.xls So definitely not right this calculation.

And my understanding is that the Thai government count is based on house registrations, which means all the upcountry especially Isaan who actually work and reside in Bangkok 90% of the year aren't counted.

If they did it by where you sleep most of the year that could IMO easily double the official number.

The figures shared by Morakot are from the 2010 Census and are the best official representation of Bangkok's actual population. The Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) tracks household registrations... and you're correct that they severely undercount Bangkok's population. I think DOPA's current number is somewhere around 6 million.

As for green space per capita, Bangkok is bad, but it's definitely not the worst in the region. The sad part about the BMA's program is that all this green space they are "creating" is basically in the outlying / suburban areas. It sounds cynical, but they probably only have to buy a plot of land from a rice farmer, plant a tree, and call it "green space". It would be far more beneficial to the populace on many fronts if they continued to pursue real urban green space initiatives, like major tree planting efforts from past years, perhaps better urban design guidelines that require setbacks with a bit of green landscaping, etc. Think Singapore!

[oops]

I can't stop caughing after being in Bangkok for about two months now, i have picked up a cough that won't go away.

But all the same I do remember when i first came here the only green seem to be a few weeds that were making an attemp

to breach the trash on a roof top that had gathered so much dirt it looked like the moon....with trash.

Speaking of that ...I was asked today by seven eleven if I wanted a plastic bag......WOW! what a break through...I had to say No!

I would rather save a fish or something. cough cough...