SECONDARY CITIES and SMART CITIES: a CASE STUDY * of KHON KAEN, THAILAND ** Pechladda Pechpakdee
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Social Science Asia, Volume 6 Number 4, p: 73-89 SECONDARY CITIES AND SMART CITIES: A CASE STUDY * OF KHON KAEN, THAILAND ** Pechladda Pechpakdee Abstract By exploring the definitions, theories, conceptual frameworks and criteria of secondary cities, this paper aims to discuss the interrelationship of five factors of secondary cities in the northeast of Thailand and Khon Kaen city. In particular, this paper will analyze the interrelationships of policy and smart city development at the state and local level. This research has employed both qualitative and the quantitative data from secondary sources to find the factors that contribute to the development of secondary cities in the northeast. After indicating the factors, this paper discusses the development of Khon Kaen smart city as one of the secondary cities supported by the Thai government. The findings of this paper illustrate that the development of Khon Kaen smart city is related to the development of secondary cities in the northeast. There are three aspects to discuss the related issues between secondary and smart cities, as follows: 1. a smart city is a secondary shift of infrastructure development in Khon Kaen, following the first shift of infrastructure development under the First National Development Plan; 2. Khon Kaen and other selective smart cities are considered from seven secondary cities based on the centralized view of the government; and 3. a smart city is essential for state or government security. Keywords: Secondary City, Smart City, City Municipality, Khon Kaen, THAILAND * This paper is excerpted and developed from the research titled “The Factors of the Secondary Cities in the Northeast, Thailand” ** Assistant Professor Dr., Department of Urban Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Urban Design, and Creative Arts, Mahasarakham University, Thailand E-mail: [email protected] Received: 10/12/2019; Revised: 22/02/2020; Accepted: 03/03/2020 Official Journal of National Research Council of Thailand in conjunction with 73 Journal of Politics and Governance Social Science Asia, Volume 6 Number 4, p: 73-89 I. Introduction economic relations from the region and national levels, and also from neighboring There are currently more than countries. For instance, Chiang Mai is not 2,400 cities globally with populations only one of the main secondary cities in between 150,000 and 5 million, which the north of Thailand but it is also one of could be loosely described as secondary the main destinations for international cities. Nearly two thirds of these cities are tourism, which has led to many benefits located in Africa and Asia. Secondary for the state revenues. This paper cities range in form and size, from 150,000 illustrates that policy and development to 5 million people, and perform a wide plans are important factors in determining range of functions in national and the role and promotion of these cities. international systems of cities (Robert, Currently, smart cities are related to the 2014). government‘s Thailand 4.0 initiative, which aims to support the growth of Saskia Sassen, a social scientist, technology and the development of the recommends that small cities could be digitalized ecosystem, which is expected to considered as the basis of global be scaled up across the nation in the near development (Sassen, 2012). Meanwhile, future. the United Nations in its predictions for the growth of urban communities in 2030 This paper starts by defining the predicts that medium-sized cities and large concepts of secondary cities and smart cities with a population of no less than 5 cities. The findings of this paper are drawn million people will play a significant role from a larger research project that in the urban economic growth of examines the factors of secondary cities in developing countries. In China, some the northeast. It will then examine the secondary cities have populations of over 5 regional hub of administration and service million. Consequently, secondary cities of the state, both in the past and present. will play an important role as catalysts and Next, it will analyze the plans and policies secondary hubs in facilitating localized of national development in the northeast, production, transportation, transformation, the hub of transportation and logistics, or transfer of goods, people, trade, population and density in urban areas, and information, and services between sub- the revenues of urban and population. national, metropolitan, national, regional, Based on the research findings, all of these and global systems of cities (Robert, factors should be considered together. The 2014). A primary city is defined as ―the movement of a smart city and the Khon leading city in its country or region, Kaen development based on the five disproportionately larger than any others in factors of a secondary city will be the urban hierarchy‖ (Goodall, 1987). discussed. The first infrastructure However, the definition of secondary city development policies in 1961 resulted in is still ambiguous (Rondinelli, 1983). In Khon Kaen's economic development, the last two decades, the literature on which was followed by the accumulation urban studies has only emphasized the size of resources and population over 60 years and power of cities in major cities. Even after the First National Development Plan. though the numbers of secondary cities are The argument is that the infrastructure growing, only a handful of studies have development was used to guarantee the investigated the path of urban development security of the state against the threat of of secondary cities. the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT). In Thailand, the roles of secondary This paper considers that urban cities are to support growth of population, studies require a sufficient amount of infrastructure development, social and studies from a broad range of aspects to Official Journal of National Research Council of Thailand in conjunction with 74 Journal of Politics and Governance Social Science Asia, Volume 6 Number 4, p: 73-89 best understand the concept of secondary that urban development needs more cities and the interrelationships with the research and studies of the role, the state. Therefore, this paper focuses on relationships, and the city systems of cities Khon Kaen municipality as the study area. around the country, together with their This paper is divided into three sections. plans and policies. It is hoped that the The first section investigates the discussions of this paper would be of definitions and the concepts of a secondary benefit for both technocrats and academics city and a smart city. The second section in planning and initiating urban development discusses the findings of five factors of the policy. secondary city in the northeast, excerpted from the research project. Additionally, the II. Objectives smart city as the latest concept of urban (1) To discuss the interrelationship of five development in Thailand is also explored factors of the secondary cities in the and discussed, together with the factors of northeast of Thailand and Khon Kaen the secondary cities based on the research city, from past to present. findings. The last section argues that the (2) To understand the interrelationship of movement of Khon Kaen smart city Khon policy and smart city development Kaen is related to the development towards between the state and local level. the secondary city in three aspects: 1. the second shift of infrastructure; 2. selective III. Research Methods smart cities are from the secondary cities; This research employed both and 3. a smart city for state security or qualitative and quantitative data from government security. primary and secondary sources. The key actors who play an important role in In summary, this paper will discuss developing Khon Kaen into a smart city the interrelationship of policy and smart were interviewed. The secondary data city development between the state and includes population, urban revenues, local level. Khon Kaen city is one of the history of city settlement, urban contexts, secondary cities in the northeast of and so on. Figure 1 presents the data Thailand and it is one of selective smart collected in this research. cities cases. It should, however, be noted Official Journal of National Research Council of Thailand in conjunction with 75 Journal of Politics and Governance Social Science Asia, Volume 6 Number 4, p: 73-89 Figure 1: Details of Data Collection Method in the Research In Thailand, the economic power of governance and service. The national secondary cities could be measured from economic and social development plans the context of trade center and the average are investigated because they are one of income of the population. The population the most important factors in promoting size and income of the municipality are the transportation hubs at the regional important criteria to categorize the levels level, both land and air transport. These of local administration. Quantitative data factors are considered and compared are employed to determine out the size of among the northeastern provinces, which the cities and the urban hierarchy system. indicates that Khon Kaen is one of the However, although secondary cities do not most important secondary cities in the have a large population, they do have northeast. Currently, the concept of the major roles and functions. Hence, we need smart city is employed in some of to understand the path of development and Thailand‘s leading provinces. Following power of these cities as the centers of these factors of secondary cities from the Official Journal of National Research Council of Thailand in conjunction with 76 Journal of Politics and Governance Social Science Asia, Volume 6 Number 4, p: 73-89 research, this paper employs these datasets cities have a population of less than to discuss the movement of Khon Kaen 750,000 people, although they are still smart city. Finally, this paper argues that called secondary cities (World Bank, 2008, these factors are related to the driving p.51).