Rehabilitation of the Abandoned Land Under Luang Praditmanutham Expressway to a Neighborhood Park with a Participatory Process

Abstract

In order to increase the green area ratio of the city and meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards, Bangkok city planners attempt to transform abandoned land under expressways into public green spaces. The land under the Luang Praditmanutham expressway is surrounded by a number of urban communities, is currently in a state of deterioration, and is ineffectively used. This article is based on participatory research aiming to (1) investigate potential uses and constraints of the land, (2) scrutinize needs of the surrounding communities, and (3) propose a suitable park design for the Luang Praditmanutham expressway development plan. The research methodology was divided into 3 phrases: site survey, needs analysis, and public hearing. The research findings are derived by content analysis and triangulation. This research found that (1) the abandoned land under the Luang Praditmanutham expressway has the potential to be transformed to a neighborhood park, (2) the residents in the surrounding communities have a high demand for area development especially for greenery spaces and parking lots, (3) the alternative park design concept of “Nature in the City” won over the “Community and Sport” concept reflecting the needs of the community for natural area rather than community activities. Contributions from this study include (1) promoting a participatory process in the development plan, (2) fostering a collaborative learning process in the stage of decision making, and (3) enhancing urban space to make a city more sustainable.