A Case Study at Sam Sen Riverside Community, Dusit District, Bangkok
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Journal of Advanced Management Science Vol. 4, No. 4, July 2016 The Prototype of the Community for Urbanization Development: A Case Study at Sam Sen Riverside Community, Dusit District, Bangkok Tikhamporn Punluekdej Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand Email: [email protected] Abstract—The research paper on “The Prototype of the north and faces with Kuakarun College (or Community for Urbanization Development: A Case Study Navamindradhiraj University) in the south. The only exit at Sam Sen Riverside Community, Dusit District, Bangkok” of the community is on Samsen road. The community is aimed at 1) the study of changing conditions based on itself cannot expand due to the most important buildings economic, social and ways of life factors of the long-lasting that surround its exact physical location. This community Sam Sen Riverside Community, and 2) the study of the is the first pilot community that the Crown Property participation of people in the community toward the physical geography management and land usage of the Bureau manages to have “Ban Mon Kong” Project Crown Property Bureau. The qualitative approach is a (Stable Housing) in which those who have lived in the major tool in the research while the quantitative data is also community for at least a year can participate into the appreciated. This community, where most of its program. The program asks for a monthly deposit of at habitants are poor, is in grave danger and appears to least a hundred baht from the participants. And when be deteriorating. Helps are needed in the forms of those particular participants can save up to 20,000 baht, housing restoration, the income generation, and the he or she will be entitled to ask for a loan from the project development of express-boat port. Health and of not more than 200,000 baht in order to restore and/or sanitation of people in the community as well as fire to build his or her new houses. Meanwhile, the protection are also among those top priority helping- community committee has been trying to cooperate with efforts. the Bangkok Metropolitan Office in order to build the express-boat port in the area to increase the number of Index Terms—the prototype of the community, the commuters passing through the area in the hope that the urbanization community will be “reborn” again. At present, the community experiences I. INTRODUCTION 1. The decaying physical environment due to the bad condition of dilapidated wooden houses and building. In the area of Dusit District, Bangkok, there are many This condition is not only unpleasant to the eyes but also informal communities both old and new that have been makes the whole area unfit to dwell. formed and developed before the proclamation of the 2. There are new dwellers who come to live in the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act B.E. 2528 community because of the low renting rate and the ease scattering around in the area. In case of the old of communication. communities, there are evidences that some of them can 3. There are a lot of senior populations living in the possibly utilize their own heritage in terms of economic, area. These people have meager or no income at all. They social, and indigenous cultural perspectives to strengthen live here for a long time and have no desire to go to live the community in order to survive and the others that anywhere else. seem to lack their necessary characters in order to be 4. The community is prone to health problems and the prosperous [1]. The Sam Sen Riverside Community is in possibility of fire. There are building constructions in the grave danger and falls into the deteriorating stage. The area which produce lots of dust. On top of that, there is community is in the great need to be restored to regain its migration of foreigners, say Burmese, Indian, Khmer and brilliant past as an ancient community. Easterner Thai people who cannot be verified about their The Sam Sen Riverside Community is located by the health records. The community also experiences drainage Chao Praya River in the west, where Samsen canal, floods in some of its areas where they could be sources of Sukhothai Palace, and Prasat Bunyawat Temple are in the mosquito breeding and other diseases. east. The community conjoins the private property in the Based on the above mentioned problems, the people in the community saw that: Manuscript received November 1, 2014; revised January 24, 2015. ©2016 Journal of Advanced Management Science 337 doi: 10.12720/joams.4.4.337-341 Journal of Advanced Management Science Vol. 4, No. 4, July 2016 1. The physical environment of the community has 1. The study of related documents pertaining to history been changed due to the passing of time. There is hardly and anthropology of the community formation including any recognition of the ancient prosperity left in the area. the evolution of the community starting from the first People just live day by day with doubt whether they are stage of formation, its peak, maturity and finally able to bring back the glorious past. declining periods. 2. The economic conditions in the community have 2. The in-depth interview with 10 individuals who are been changed. In the past, Sam Sen Community was of at least 50 years old and were born into the area. considered as one of the major waterway business centers 3. The participated observation of the researcher in the country since the World War II (B.E. 2484-2488) during the year 2013-2014. had ended. After that, the community has entered in the 4. The focus-group discussion of those who live in the stage of decline up until now in which there is no trace of areas with vivid memory about the community. those golden periods. 5. The in-depth interview with those who were From the above incident, the community environment considered as the prominent and/or interesting has been changed because of the disappearance of figures/players in the community. These individuals commercial activities or being known as capitalism. With include Dusit district councilor, community leaders, both the high competition in the capital, ways of life of those in the past and present, the abbot of the Prasatboonyawat who live in Bangkok have changed also. It is clear that Temple, Hindu people, and Indian people. economics, ways of life and/or culture have all 6. The direct participation in the academic services contributed to the problems of the community. As the rendered to the community in the fiscal year of 2014 time passes by, these problems become accumulated, and totaling 14 projects. to make the matter worse, there is no solid solution about From the research, it is found that: the future plan of the community. All of these problems 1. Most of the people in the community are senile will definitely have a great impact on the future of people people. These people however are considered as very who live in the community and the community as a whole reliable informers, with their vivid memory, they can [2]. However, after the field-trip into the community, it is track down each individual incident that had happened in found that: the community in terms of physical environment, 1. Some of the people still have hope for being eligible economic conditions, social phenomenon as well as the to live in new houses in the community provided by the traditional culture of the community without disruption. Crown Property Bureau. This information can be used to cross check with the 2. The hope that the community will have an express- available data in order to draw the true-to-life picture of boat port which is expected to boost up the economic the community since the prosperous period up until its activities in the area. This proposal has been already doom day. The data definitely help to discover the true submitted to the responsible authority. identity of the community. Even, the above expectations seem likely possible and 2. The community in the past is considered quite a they ignite the precious hope of the people in the area but small community in the sense that everybody knows each there is still no mention about the splendid past of the other well and this also means each other’s background. community. How the community can connect its past to 3. People in the community are satisfied and have the the present and how the community can, not only to intention to stay in the area since they have no plan survive but also have a bright future of its existence as a and/or preparation to move to live anywhere else. The part of prestigious community in the Bangkok community not only has provided safety for the people Metropolitan area. These are the interesting questions that who live in the area but also served as a very convenient are worth studying. Thus, the researcher is proud to location to travel to any destination in Bangkok. The present the research entitled “The Prototype of the community neighbourhood is quite peaceful and kind and Community for Urbanization Development: A Case is willing to participate in any type of activity organized Study at Sam Sen Riverside Community, Dusit District, by the community. Despite the interracial differentiation, Bangkok” people in Sam Sen Riverside Community can depend on each other and live together happily. II. OBJECTIVES IV. FINDINGS 1. To study the changing conditions based on economic, social and ways of life factors of the long- From the data analysis, it can be described according lasting Sam Sen Riverside Community.