Chapter – 2: Bangkok: Urban Evolution from Orchard Dyke Land to Cars-Based City 2.1 Bangkok Urban Development

Bangkok Urban Evolution

Early Period

The early settlements of Bangkok were many small, scattered villages situated along the waterway of the Chao Phraya River for many centuries before the 16th century. Around 1538, due to the growth of international trade, the devious form of the Chao Phraya River, and the difficulty of traveling to Ayutthaya from the Gulf of Thailand, the canal was dug to shortcut the river. It had slowly become more expansive and eventually changed to be the river that replaced the old one, which became shallower and narrower. The occurrence of the shortcut river divided Bangkok into two sides. The city was gradually developed from an agricultural area to be a fortress and a port city of Ayutthaya's kingdom. The forts were built on both sides of the river. The area beyond the forts was mainly still the agricultural farmland. Around 1768, Bangkok was established to be the new capital of Thailand as Krung Thonburi. The construction of palaces and aristocratic houses were built around the existing fortress on the westside.

However, around 15 years later, the capital was relocated to the opposite side of the river and called the Rattanakosin island. The city planning idea derived from the Ayutthaya city pattern, which was circled by waterways. Rattanakosin island has been encircled by the canal dug since the Krung Thonburi period, but another canal was also constructed to be an outer ring of the city. The walls and fortresses were created along the outer canal, and the inner canal was used as a circulation. The city center started from the grand palace and expanded hierarchically (Preyawanit, 2014). The Chinese people, who lived in the area before the palace had been built, moved to the southeast outside the inner canal. The western foreigners had moved further south.

Industrial Period

In the late 19th century, many canals had been dug to connect the city to the rural countryside for transportation and logistics purposes and extend the aristocratic ownerships. People had to rent land to do agricultural activities, which are the significant products of the country. As a result, many agrarian communities occurred along the canals.

At the same time, due to Westernisation, western technologies, construction techniques, and architectural styles were introduced in Bangkok. In 1864, the Charoen Krung Road (the first road of Thailand) was built from the inner-city canal toward the city’s southeast cut through the most prominent Chinese community (Yaowarat) and continued toward the south parallel with the Chao Phraya River. On the lower part of the road, western communities, such as the Portuguese and the French, were created next to the riverside. The Bumrung Maung road lying to the east and the Fueang Nakhon road connected within the inner-city were constructed chronologically. The constructions had started to build along the streets.

According to the change of the public administration system in 1892, many new government buildings had been built align with road networks, and some buildings were converted from the old palaces. Moreover, western culture had influenced the building styles and locations of palaces. Some royal family members had built their houses in the countryside outside the city's wall and built new roads to connect those houses to the city, for example, Dusit Palace and Wang Mai. The old community had expanded toward new car routes. The

Figure 4 The Expansion of Bangkok, Thailand, 1850–2002 (Angel, Shlomo, et al.,2011)

shophouses had risen from the split, narrowdeep plot that used to be farmlands. Although roads had been introduced, the construction of canals had been still going on for agricultural purposes and the royal landlord until around 1910. Since then, the city's primary transportation had shifted to roads, and some canals had been filled to build a new concrete road (see Chapter 2.3.2, 2.3.3). The new settlements had stuck to new roads that linked the city to suburb areas. From 1852-1960, the Bangkok area expanded from 8.88 sq. to 124 sq. km. Its population had grown from 400,000 people to 2 million people. When the city expanded, farmland turned into shophouses and single houses. Regularly, ridges of farmland were the guidelines of small alleys that linked canal communities to roads. The mixes of building types occurred in small alleys.

Around 1917, Thailand experienced the fluctuation of agricultural product prices, but the industrial sector had been increasing and needed more workforces. People from the countryside were flowing into the city. As a result, the city's density had risen, and many slums occurred around the city in the derelict areas near sources of works. In 1942, the public housing unit (National Housing Authority - present) was established to solve the housing problem. Many large social housing projects happened in different parts of the city to replace those slums. Nevertheless, their spatial conditions in the present are needed to be concerned.

Furthermore, the middle classes raised by the growing economy had chosen to buy a single house in suburban areas and residential highrises in urban areas. Dense population settlements had increased around various main roads linking Bangkok to nearby provinces. The lack of the city's network planning and properties converted from farmlands that occurred along the canal had resulted in large building blocks with long distances between the road intersections. People traveled through the giant block by small alleys (Soi) that infiltrate into the block as human veins.

The 21st century

In the 21st century, the coming of the sky train and the underground train have played a crucial role in the city's urban development. Office buildings, shopping malls, and condominiums have shown up around the train lines. The land price has rocketed to a new height. People who cannot afford it have to move out. The medium incomes have still moved out to the suburban community; consequently, many shopping centers, markets, and services occurred at the edge of the city. In the 2010s, the old city area has slowly become popular again due to the cultural tourism trend and people's lifestyle. Most new shops, restaurants, and hotels have been converted from old buildings. Talad Noi and Charoen Krung district, the peripheral areas between Chinese communities and Western communities along the Charoen Krung Road,are examples to create a creative district with the existing solid culture and new revitalized projects.

Figure 5 Bangkok 21th Century Map - Culatural Tourism Areas (Kitti Chupanich, 2021)