Vacant shophouse buildings in Bangkok: the root causes and strategic options

Abstract

Since the old-fashioned shophouse buildings cannot act in response to the urban sprawl and changing lifestyles of Bangkok, progressively they are converting into partially vacant buildings or sometimes they go off entirely unoccupied for an indefinite period of time. A noteworthy number of fully or partially vacant shophouse buildings can be found in every nook and corner of the city. These vacant shophouses act as the "voids" in the neighborhood, posing a threat to potential housing community development, economic opportunity, environmental health, and public safety within the city. However, these so-called "voids" might offer a great opportunity for the city as well if they are utilized wisely. To ensure that shophouses are properly utilized, the root causes of vacancy must be identified. The intention of this thesis was to explore the root causes relating to the phenomenon of Bangkok’s vacant shophouse buildings in a structured manner, considering architectural design, quality of life, financial viewpoint, urbanization, people’s culture & behavior, governmental laws & regulations perspectives using a very well-known methodology: Fishbone analysis in combination with the 5-Whys analysis technique. Appropriate reactivation strategies were also proposed for these vacant shophouses in order to develop a sustainable neighborhood in the city. Qualitative research has been conducted based on literature reviews, interviews, and surveys. The findings conclude that the main root causes of vacancy are a few issues associated with obsolete architectural design, lack of parking facilities, aplenty of modern housing and shopping choices for people, and outer migration of the younger generation, closely followed by lack of effective regulations for vacant properties and financial support for the renovation process. An analytical framework of the Fishbone diagram was used to demonstrate the causes of the vacancy categorized under the different perspectives. The underlying causes behind the vacancy are important in strategizing the reactivation process of these shophouses. Considering different aspirations of the shophouse owners as well as the potential urban demand for these shophouse buildings, several realistic strategies are proposed. These strategies are about thoughtful planning, innovative programs and practices, creative financing, and targeted code enforcement for the shophouses. It is expected that the findings of this thesis will provide valuable knowledge and solutions for reactivating these vacant and underutilized shophouse buildings and preventing further vacancy.