BANGKOK, THAILAND Bangkok’s Urban Presence: Toward the Future of Smart Urbanity

Visited by tens of millions of visitors every year, Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, has remained one of the best travel destinations in the world. As an urban metropolis, in addition to its being friendly, affordable, and culturally diverse, Bangkok is also delicious, exhilarating and, needless to say, full of surprises. However, there is one thing of which both the locals and visitors alike are not fond: it is not a very convenient city. From its infamous traffic congestion to unbearable temperature, Bangkok could feel like a boiling pan especially when mobility is hardly there.
We propose “Smart Urbanity” interventions through new technology vis-à-vis social factors bringing people together and pushing them apart. Combining the expertise of the key investigators, this project presents both a scientific data-driven and socially sensitive understanding of space and place. Relying on data to bypass meta-concepts overused in urban planning and design today, we get to the root cause and dilemma of pedestrians on the streets as agents of urbanity, urbanism, and urbanization. This project seeks to provide a generalization of how and why we can’t and shouldn’t ignore the physical reality of a certain contact in creating a sense of place.