Residential areas … A big-city problem

Residential areas … A big-city problem

            Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak

Senior Fellow, Harvard University’s Center for Business and Government

              Shelter is one of the four basic requirements for living, an important necessity especially in a big city such as Bangkok. Having a secure place to live ensures human life security. It would be very difficult if we had to live with the uncertainty of different accommodation arrangements day by day.

              In Bangkok’s urban area, full of skyscrapers and thousands of village communities, people still face the problem of insecure accommodation. Whenever their rental contracts expire, they are evicted; or else they squat illegally having no ownership permission. This is happening, for example, in the Klong Toey, Sathorn and Yannawa areas. Most people living in these areas exist hand to mouth and cannot afford to buy their own homes.

              In some areas, people are forced to move from their homes at the whim of the owner who may seek other benefits from the area. The owner may thus fail to renew rental contracts with these poor people, as has occurred for example, in the Klong Sarn community of Yannawa district. Other communities are also in line for a close down in the near future as well, such as one community behind the Esso gas station in the Klong Toey district, slated to close at some stage between August and October, 2008.

              On the other hand, some areas are not considered slum areas, but areas of historic value, going back in time more than eighty years. Very old houses and ancient architecture is highly valued for tradition’s sake. For example, the Wang-Lhi community in Bangrak district is such a place, which the Fine Arts Department has agreed to preserve, due to its high value and historical importance. However, as the owner wanted to use this area in order to gain some other benefits, no matter how hard the people in that community tried to fight by legal means, finally, they had to move out in deference to a legal judicial sentencing. This brought the community to an end, last May, 2008.

              This situation is very challenging to the Bangkok Governor. However, the restoration of such problem areas requires delicate resolution in many ways, resulting both in gains and losses. Thus, it is difficult to find a solution. Short term measures are immediately necessary, as are long term measures taken for permanent problem solution. In addition, policies are necessary to ensure that people can continue to live in their motherland. Such policies include the decentralization of income and civilization to other parts of Thailand. Such measures can thus prevent migration into the big city, which is the main cause of this problem.