PUBLIC GREEN SPACE IN BANGKOK: A CASE STUDY OF LUMPHINI PARK

Abstract

Public green spaces are essential for a sustainable city and urban dwellers' life quality. Although the Bangkok government (BMA) has already begun to seek for more public green spaces, the physical elements of Bangkok's public green spaces have not been fully explored, which is the key to good management of urban greenery. By reviewing BMA's policies on public green spaces, tracing back the history of the sampled site, analyzing the tree composition, interviewing government officials, and conducting field observations, the author reveals the policy evolution on tree selection in Lumphini Park, which can be delineated as four main phases. Before the 1970s, shade trees were priorities. Since the 1970s, ornamental trees have become the emphasis. From 1990s to early 2000s, trees' spatial functions gained a distinct highlight. Nowadays, BMA focuses on trees' capability of carbon absorption. Such finding reflects not only the authorities' shifting perceptions of trees and landscape in public spaces but also trees' multiple functions for Bangkok's environment. The importance of the history and the role of park officers on public green spaces are also reflected in this case study. The author recommends BMA to use trees in public spaces to publicize its environmental policy, which can bind people with trees more tightly and corresponds to BMA's policy of raising the public's environmental awareness.