Participatory Planning in Municipal Development in Thailand vorgelegt von Master of Architecture Pondej Chaowarat aus Thailand von der Fakultät VI – Planen Bauen Umwelt der Technischen Universität Berlin zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften - Dr.-Ing. - genehmigte Dissertation Promotionsausschuss: Vorsitzender: Prof. Dr. P. Herrle Berichterin: Prof. Dipl. Ing. E. Pahl-Weber Berichter: Prof. Dr. A. Atkinson Tag der wissenschaftlichen Aussprache: 12. Februar 2010 Berlin 2010 D 83 Abstract This dissertation offers a full understanding of the extent of participatory planning in Thai municipalities within the context of a highly centralized state and dominance of local business people in public decision determination. In this ‘alternative’ mode of planning, various interests groups determine their local development plans collectively. Essentially, such planning aims to provide a political sphere of different groups of interests within the current pluralistic society. The research examines outcomes of the decentralization process regarding: municipal ability for local development planning; the legal framework promoting citizen participation in local public decisions; attitudes of local politicians (who are essentially business people) towards participatory planning; and the contributions of local associations in municipal development, particularly the local planning system. The study finds that highly centralized state policy undermines the local planning system. Municipalities have insufficient necessities (authority, duties, resources) for performing their local planning effectively. In the legal framework, the government aims to use citizen participation to obtain information from the grassroots, rather than collective public decision determination. All significant public decisions remain within representative forms (municipal executives and councils). In local politics, local business elites dominate Thai municipalities and manipulate citizen participation for their personal benefits. Such an imbalance of power among civil society reduces the ability of other interests to be involved in public decisions. Although much participation is taking place in municipal practice, the local planning system fails to be a central political sphere for various interests to participate in local public decision. Some local groups who have high electoral vote power benefit from legal planning procedures; others use their tight connections to politicians to pursue their aims outside legal planning procedures; there are also those who neither have mass support, nor support of politicians and therefore stand little chance for pursuing their interests. i Zusammenfassung Diese Dissertation gibt einen umfassenden Einblick über das Ausmaß von „Participatory Planning“ in thailändischen Gemeinden im Kontext eines stark zentralisierten Staates und der Vorherrschaft ortsansässiger Geschäftsleute im öffentlichen Entscheidungsprozess. Diese alternative Art der Planung gibt den verschiedenen Interessengruppen die Möglichkeit zusammen über ihre regionale Entwicklung zu bestimmen. Im Grunde zielt diese Planung darauf ab, unterschiedlichen Interessengruppen in der heutigen pluralistischen Gesellschaft einen politischen Spielraum zu bieten. Die Arbeit untersucht die Ergebnisse des Prozesses der Dezentralisierung in Bezug auf die kommunalen Fähigkeiten bei der lokalen Entwicklungsplanung, die gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen für die Förderung der Mitwirkung der Bürger an öffentlichen Entscheidungen, die Haltung kommunaler Politiker (welche im Grunde Geschäftsleute sind) zu „Participatory Planning“ und die Beteiligung ortsansässiger Vereine an der kommunalen Entwicklung insbesondere am örtlichen Planungsverfahren. Die Studie stellt fest, dass die stark zentralisierte staatliche Politik das lokale Planungsverfahren untergräbt. Die Gemeinden haben nur unzureichende Möglichkeiten (Befugnisse, Pflichten, Ressourcen) um ihre lokale Planung effektiv zu gestalten. Innerhalb des gesetzlichen Rahmens benutzt die Regierung die Bürgerbeteiligung um Informationen von der Basis zu erhalten anstatt öffentliche Entscheidungen gemeinschaftlich zu treffen. Alle wesentlichen Entscheidungen werden nach wie vor in einer repräsentativen Form (durch die kommunale Führungskräfte und Räte) getroffen. In der Lokalpolitik beherrschen die dortigen Wirtschaftseliten die thailändischen Gemeinden und manipulieren die Bürgerbeteiligungen zu Gunsten persönlicher Vorteile. Solch ein Kräfteungleichgewicht in der Zivilgesellschaft schwächt die Leistungsfähigkeit anderer Interessen bei der Beteiligung an den öffentlichen Entscheidungen. Obwohl in der kommunalen Praxis an vielen Stellen eine Beteiligung stattfindet, scheitert das öffentliche Planungsverfahren am zentralen politischen Spielraum in dem verschiedene Interessen an den kommunalen öffentlichen Entscheidungen mitwirken können. Einige Gruppen die ein hohes Wählerpotenzial haben profitieren vom rechtlichen Planungsverfahren, andere nutzen ihre engen Beziehungen zu Politikern, um ihre Ziele außerhalb der planungsrechtlichen Verfahren zu verfolgen aber es gibt auch solche die weder die Unterstützung der Massen noch die Unterstützung von Politikern besitzen und daher kaum eine Chance haben ihre Interessen zu verfolgen. ii Acknowledgements I am greatly thankful to Professor Adrian Atkinson for all his assistance with this study and his encouragement from beginning to end. I thank Professor Elke Pahl- Weber who provided me with intellectual support and official documents in the final parts of the study. I have furthermore to thank officials, politicians, scholars, activists, journalists and business people in the three municipalities examined, who granted me much assistance during my research. iii Table of Contents Page List of Tables vii List of Figures viii List of Abbreviations ix Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Research Problem 1 1.2 Research Methodology 4 1.3 Background to Case Study Cities 7 Chapter 2: Theory of Participatory Planning 21 2.1 Participatory Planning - Emergence and Conceptual Context 21 2.2 Emergence and Concept of Civil Society 32 2.3 Conclusion 43 Chapter 3: The Dynamics of Thai Civil Society and its Involvement in the Development Process 45 3.1 The Evolution of Thai Civil Society 45 3.2 The evolution of the Business Community in Thailand 59 3.3 Conclusion 71 Chapter 4: The Capability of Thai Municipalities in Local Development Planning 73 4.1 Structure of Thai Public Administration 74 4.2 Dynamics of Thai Local Government 77 4.3 Capability of Thai Municipalities for Local Development Planning 84 4.4 Conclusion 92 Chapter 5: Legal Framework Concerning Civic Participation in Municipal Planning Systems 95 5.1 Laws and Regulations Concerning People Participation in Municipality 95 5.2 Interior Ministerial Regulation of the Local Development Planning 2005 101 5.3 Conclusion 109 v Chapter 6: Attitudes of municipal leaders towards participatory planning 111 6.1 Local Politicians and their Business Backgrounds 111 6.2 What kinds of advantages do business elites gain via political participation? 114 6.3 Does ‘Participatory Planning’ matter to local leaders? 121 6.4 Conclusion 126 Chapter 7: The Associations of Civil Society Interests 129 7.1 Background of Local Associations and Persons involved in the Local Development Process 130 7.2 What are the formations and contributions of notable local associations concerning present urban development? 151 7.3 Does the legal framework of municipal development planning contribute towards genuine participatory planning in practice? 155 7.4 How do local associations contribute their urban development works when the opportunities of citizen participation in the municipal development planning are desperately insufficient? 157 7.5 Conclusion 158 Chapter 8: Conclusion 159 Bibliography 173 Appendix: List of Interview Participants 183 vi List of Tables Page Table 1: Thesaban Division of Thailand 76 Table 2: People Participation in the Local Development Planning 104 Table 3: Contributions of Local Associations and Persons concerning Urban Development 153 Table 4: The Extent of Participation of Local Associations and Selected Persons in Local Development Planning 156 vii List of Figures Page Figure 1: Locations of Selected Cities 8 Figure 2: GPP of Khon Kaen Province in 2007 10 Figure 3: Khon Kaen City Map 11 Figure 4: GPP of Phitsanulok Province in 2007 13 Figure 5: Phitsanulok City Map 14 Figure 6: GPP of Phuket Province in 2007 16 Figure 7: Phuket City Map 17 Figure 8: Government Structure of Thailand 75 Figure 9: Thesaban (Municipal) Structure 77 Figure 10: Revenue Year 2005 of Three Cities 90 Figure 11: The Proportion of Local Government Revenue to the National Revenue 92 Figure 12: Municipal Plan Structure 102 viii List of Abbreviations AEC Assets Examination Committee ASEAN Association of Southeast Asia Nations BCL Business and Community Leadership Development BMA Bangkok Metropolitan Administration CDA Constitution Drafting Assembly CEO chef executive official CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CODI Community Organization Development Institute COPE Community Organization Project on environment CPT Communist Party of Thailand DLOC Decentralization to Local Government Organization Committee DOLA Department of Local Administration DPT Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning EIA Environmental Impact Assessment GDP Gross Domestic Product GPP Gross Provincial Product GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit IMF International