A handy checklist of urban development projects. By Saransri Prawatpattanakul, Grégoire Glachant and Nuttaporn Srisirirungsimakul, photos by Grégoire Glachant, Rapeepat Boonmongkolwat

We are told that we can expect big things in 2008, among these the official opening of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center in July and the launch of the Bus Rapid Transit System the following month. Excited? You bet. But forgive us if we don’t hold our collective breath.

It’s not that we don’t believe these projects will ever be completed, because a lot of things do eventually get done here in Bangkok. Just witness our shiny airport and our skytrain and subway systems, which, though limited in scope, have changed life in Bangkok for the better.
But talk is cheap and there are still plenty of stark reminders—from the Stonehenge-like Hopewell pillars to the Sahavariya condo skeletons—of why we might want to curb our enthusiasm for now and “believe it when we see it.”

Further, there are plenty of projects that not only never make it past the planning stage but never make it past the “promise” stage. Politicians know that we’re a forgiving and forgetful people, and that they can toss out (or “toss off,” is more like it, sometimes) any sort of grand plan that will leave us impressed and spellbound long enough for them to escape the room.

Do you ever wonder, “What ever happened to that parking lot under Sanam Luang?” Or, “Doesn’t that idea for dedicated bus lanes on Narathiwat-Rajanakarin sound familiar?” Or, “Wasn’t the Night Bazaar supposed to close, like, three years ago?” With this in mind, we’ve decided to compile a greatest hits of Bangkok’s best-laid plans to answer the question, where are they—and we—now?

Suan Lum Night Bazaar

The idea: P Con Development was given the lease to the site in 2001, opening the bazaar one year later on what was once a military academy. The bazaar became a hit with tourists and locals, offering a cleaner and more central alternative to Chatuchak and cheap retail space to quirky young designers who could otherwise not afford to be in the malls.

That was then: When the lease expired in March 2006, the Crown Property Bureau (CPB) asked P Con to pack up and make way for Central Pattana. Despite repeated extensions, no one has budged… yet. Central Pattana plans to build Thailand’s tallest building with—wait for it—a hotel and a shopping mall thrown in. (For more information, visit www.bkmagazine.com/feature/bye-bye-bazaar.)

This is now: Last January, a court ruled that all traders and shopkeepers must pack their bags and leave within 30 days and pay a B100-million fine to the CPB. But P Con has been fighting to keep the night bazaar open, at least for the time being.

“It’ll take at least a year before the Court of Appeals hands down its verdict,” P Con lawyer Sertsiri Moraruang was quoted in The Nation.

Are the retailers worried? Prasit Khongdaeng, who owns a stall in Suan Lum Night Bazaar’s Lopburi Zone, said the business is doing just fine. “The ongoing battles about the closing down doesn’t affect our sales. We still welcome a lot of tourists and shoppers nightly. And I think we, shopkeepers, still have years before they can settle the argument.”

Connecting Sois

The idea: In 1994, the BMA planned to link certain sois and roads that were particularly badly planned. These 25 projects included connections between sois Insaraphap 15 and 21, between Chaeng Wattana Soi 14 and Soi Kosum Samakki and between sois Udomsuk 28 and 42.

That was then: Of course, like any new road in Bangkok, this involved razing existing homes, and kicking out their inhabitants. Faced with fierce local opposition and negative media coverage, the BMA, without officially abandoning its plans, backed off.

This is now: Now in a phase of research and polling, the project is so sensitive the BMA refuses to discuss it.

BTS

The idea: Fast, safe, affordable mass transportation. While plans to build some kind of mass transit system modeled on the Vancouver SkyTrain existed as early as 1984 (the Lavalin SkyTrain), they were scrapped for political reasons.

That was then: It would take another nine years before HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn could inaugurate the BTS. That period was marked by conflict between the Democrat-ruled BMA and Thaksin’s government. Under the ex-PM’s rule, the state had little interest in letting Democrat-friendly companies build this mega-project (or later on its extensions) nor let Democrats take credit for it.

This is now: Surefire extensions are the Charoen Nakhon and Wongwian Yai stations, just after Sapan Thaksin on the Thonburi side of the river. Again, these have been in the pipeline since 2001, but the TRT fiercely resisted them until opposition grew too strong to ignore in 2005 and the projects were greenlighted. Still, according to an officer at the BTS hotline (02-617-6000), it won’t be until 2010 (hopefully) that you’ll be able to enjoy a view of the Chao Praya from your Skytrain seat. On the Sukhumvit line, you can expect the BTS to go all the way to Sukhumvit 107… one day.

Ratchadamnoen Road

The idea: Beautify the “Champs Elysées” of Bangkok, turning the avenue into a landmark befitting the City of Angels.

That was then: Launched in 2001 under Thaksin, the 13-billion baht project included a walkway under Democracy Monument and a revamp of the sidewalks and surrounding buildings.

This is now: It has been revived, if a bit more modestly, by the current government, with a budget of B7 billion, putting it at odds with the Rattanokosin Committee, the BMA and local activists. It is feared the communities around there will need to move out.

Bus Rapid Transit

The idea: A 15-kilometer-long line, with 12 stops, running from the BTS Chong Nonsi and the coming Ratchaphruek station. Crowded districts Suanplu, Sathorn, Narathiwas, Rama 3, Klongsan and Ratchaphruek will finally get fast, clean public transportation if the BRT delivers. The latter will even get a vast park and ride installation to drop off your car and zip into town.

The project is not just a new way of enforcing and reshaping existing bus lanes into 100% car free zones; there will be flyovers from the sidewalk and elevated­ stations so that the look and feel will not be unlike the BTS. Buses are expected to pop up every 5-7 minutes, again just like BTS, and transport you quickly and reliably into the center of the city.

That was then: A pet project of Governor Apirak Kosayothin as soon as he was elected, in 2004, Apirak then hoped he could have the buses running by 2005. What went wrong? The Thaksin administration, again, making sure the BMA didn’t get anything done that might encourage Bangkokians to continue voting Democrat.

This is now: In January 2007, the military-appointed government finally green-lighted the project and the BMA charted the project for completion during the first months of 2008. Now three to four months behind schedule, the BRT will allegedly be a reality sometime after August, this year.

By mid-2009, expect 13.5 more kilometers running from the Mo Chit BTS terminal to Chaeng Wattana in Nonthaburi. Over the next three years, some 120 kilometers of BRT lanes are planned for development, for a total budget of B12.89 billion. But critics are asking, what will the effect on traffic be if we reduce all the roads used by the BRT by one full lane?

Bobae Makeover

The idea: In hopes to ease the traffic and beautify the area, the BMA planned to drive away the vendors who illegally set up stalls on the sides of Krungkasem Road, along Klong Mahanak, as well as on Bobae Bridges 1-4.

That was then: After numerous fights and debates on the front pages of newspapers, on May 23, 2007, His Majesty the King gave a piece of royal property worth B9 million to set up a cooperative for Bobae vendors. The sellers were to set up shop there while an underground market with a budget of B800 million would be built.

This is now: There’s been some cleaning up on one side of the road, next to Klong Mahanak—trees, a new pavement, a pretty green iron fence—but no digging. We spoke to Na and Dej who set up their stalls on Bobae 2 bridge temporarily and illegally and face frequent arrests by municipal police. “Out of the thousands of vendors at Bobae, there will only be space for half of us. At first, people went to the cooperative meetings but nothing ever moved forward. So we gave up.”

The list of woes facing Bobae vendors is long and often dramatic: debts, joblessness, homelessness, and even psychological problems that led some to suicide. But Na and Dej haven’t given up yet, “We will fight to the death! Everyone wants a space and we will have to get our part.”

Low-cost Housing

The idea: Thaksin made promises for low-cost housing, hoping to cut the number of slum communities from 5,000 to 2,000 under the Ban Ua Arthorn and Ban Mankhong projects. The Community Organisation Development Institute (CODI) and the National Housing Authority were appointed to handle the construction.

That was then: Ban Mankhong offered low-interest loans to help the would-be home owners pay for the construction of their own houses built on the governmental agency land, while the Ua Arthorn was assigned to set up 600,000 units, which are available for low-paid families with prices starting at B390,000. But as always, problems plagued the dream home projects. In 2006, the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) reported that the Ua Arthorn houses were built on “the type of land that only buffaloes walk on. No human can live there.” Likewise, some of those signing up for the Ban Mankhong faced risks of eviction as the Ports Authority of Thailand wanted its land back.  

This is now: Visit Ban Ua Arthorn’s website (www.arthorn.nha.co.th) and you’ll see that despite the huge interest and publicity when it was first launched, numerous units at 30 housing estates are still unoccupied—distant location and poor finishing, even when cheap, are just too much of a turn-off. How ironic that the low-cost housing supposed to replace the slums are turning into slums themselves.

Bangkok Art and Culture Center

The idea: With a B300 million budget, the project began in Bhichit Rattakul’s time, in 1996. When Samak took Bangkok’s helm, he replaced the art center plan with a plan for a car park. After the Samak interlude, the newly elect Apirak revived the scheme with a budget of B500 million. Apirak’s hope was to convert the consumerist crowds of Siam to consuming culture.

That was then: After three city administrations, the media were finally invited to a soft launch to listen to a talk by Governor Apirak while sipping drinks by a construction site. The governor announced that the construction would be completed by March (sorry, governor, not this March), a decade after it was first planned, and that the non-profit Art Foundation of Bangkok would run the center. Later, it was said the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture and a committee of artists and experts in different fields would run it.

This is now: Chatvichai Promadhattavedi, the center’s management subcommittee head tries to be reassuring, “It was due to open in May, with a grand opening in July. The 11 floors will not all open at one time. It will be gradual.” As to the content, it will be a little more general than the name suggests. “With art galleries, a library, theater, design shop, bookshop and restaurants, we want to draw a large audience.” David Teh, a Bangkok-based Australian curator and artist, is also positive. “Well, like most of the art community, I’m pleased that the center is finally near completion. It faced a lot of challenges in the planning and construction phase—not least, the antagonism of people like Samak, who very nearly turned the place into a car park. Being late is a small price to pay for the outcome—a dedicated facility for contemporary culture, in the heart of the city.”

TCDC

The idea: Thaksin declared, “New expressions of creativity create jobs and income. Though creative thinking and economics appear to be separate matters, we must put them together.” Thus, the Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) was established to serve as a window to a world of ideas, imagination and inspiration, encouraging Thais to think out of the box and add value to their designs with a pinch of creativity and ingenuity.

That was then: On November 14, 2005, The Thailand Creative and Design Center (heralded as a project of the former prime minister) opened its doors to Bangkokians and brought them exhibitions, a library with beautiful books and expensive foreign magazines and conferences with talented artists and designers. But the best laid plans of mice, men, and even prime ministers are never safe from a military coup. Once the military-appointed government was in place, all things Thaksin were charted for elimination. Needless to go into details, TCDC’s absorption into the National Discovery Museum Institute (NDMI) died the day the PPP won the elections—but not the debate surrounding it.

This is now: TCDC claims a visitor count of 610,000 at its galleries and 17,000 members. Pending the completion of the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, and despite its flaws, it stands as Thailand’s only modern culture and art center. Mini TCDCs are also up and running in Lam Pang, Chiang Mai and Chonburi. You might want to check out its two new online design communities—www.tcdcconnect.com and www.materialconnexion.com/th. With its newly established steering committee, TCDC should be safe from future political power plays.

Sanam Luang Parking

The idea: A four-story underground car park at Sanam Luang that can accommodate some 300 buses that bring tourists to the Rattanakosin attractions like Wat Prakaew and the Grand Palace.

That was then: Proposed in 2002 by Samak (who else?) when he was still Bangkok’s governor, the scheme was soon unanimously turned down by the BMA and the Rattanakosin Committee on the advice of the City Planning Department since the construction might affect the nearby historical sites.

This is now: The Rattanakosin Committee suggested that if a car park is really needed, to build it at the former location of the Government Public Relations Department on Ratchadamnoen Avenue instead. The project has been all but buried since.

Chamchuri Square

The idea: An A-grade office building, which also doubles as an edutainment center.

That was then: The abandoned building, belonging to Chulalongkorn University, was called Chula Hi-Tech Square when it was first built on 34,000-square-meters of land in 1994. But due to the economic crisis, the construction came to a halt in 1996, and for a decade, the uncompleted concrete relic standing on Samyan intersection has served as a living proof of the so-called tom yam kung disease. However, now that the location, linked directly to an MRT station, has become prime real estate, the university thinks it’s time to dust off the project and start the redevelopment of the now Chamchuri Square.

This is now: Chamchuri Square includes a 41-story office building, a 23-story condominium and a 4-story retail atrium, which will offer Chula’s Book Center, restaurants, banks and other social and learning facilities. There will also be an underground walkway connecting the complex to MRT Samyan. There was already a grand opening ceremony in April, but the complex is said to actually open by the end of July.

Under-Expressway Development

The idea: The BMA realized it had overlooked precious plots of land lying in the shadows of the expressways running through Bangkok. Some 90 plots of land, a total of 551 rai, are scattered under the expressways, mostly in a state of neglect.

That was then: According to the ETA Bill 2007, the Express Authority of Thailand (ETA) has the right to lease and develop the under-expressway land, but with the public interest in mind. The plan was to plant a combo of park-and-ride parking lots, public toilets, a playground and a recreational area onto the neglected land. Sixty three plots were said to be handed over to the BMA to fight the trash and squatters that have accumulated under most of them.

This is now: On our last visit to Pongpetch junction, all we saw was piles of trash. At the Urupong junction, one side features a few pieces of rusty playground equipment, while improvised parking for street food vendors’ carts, tables and chairs is on the other. Former Deputy Governor Pichai Chaipojpanich, who was to head the commission established to organize these plots, has recently resigned. As always, wait and see.

Hopewell / Suvarnabhumi Railway Link

The idea: A major elevated road and rail network project linking downtown Bangkok to its suburbs, or Suvarnabhumi Airport more specifically, as a long-tem solution to Bangkok’s traffic management problems.

That was then: The “Bangkok Elevated Road and Train System” (BERTS), a.k.a. Hopewell, a.k.a. the Hopeless Project, was scheduled to be up and running by 1995. Yes, that’s 18 years ago. By 1997, the project was toast with less than 10% of the work completed. It is one of the most glaring disasters of urban planning in Bangkok, leaving behind over 1,000 pillars as constant reminders. Successive governments all toyed with the idea of reviving the BERTS, which was to run above existing railways and include both a highway and a mass transit railway all stacked on top of each other. There was even a little shopping mall corridor thrown in. How cute. Except it all went under thanks to corruption, bureaucracy and, according to the politicians, the Hopewell company’s own fault—although that is hard to believe considering the company is still in existence, profitable and has a long list of successes building complex projects in Asia.

The Hopewell woes explain, in part, the Suvarnabhumi Airport Railway link delays. Calls to use existing Hopewell pillars to save billions of baht and legal battles with Hopewell got in the way of plans of linking downtown to the New Bangkok International Airport (as it was then called). In 2001 (when everyone still thought Suvarnabhumi would open by 2004), many agencies were eager to get a piece of the action, but Thaksin (him again) felt that the eight-lane highway was more than enough to cover the airport’s transportation needs. By 2004, it was finally decided that a railway link was needed after all and AP reported: “A 30 billion baht elevated rail project to link Bangkok with its soon-to-be-opened new international airport was approved Tuesday by Thailand’s Cabinet.… Construction of the rail link is supposed to take about two years, and it is expected to begin operating in 2006, one year after the opening of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport.” Pretty funny, right?

This is now: The Suvarnabhumi Airport rail link project, starting from Phayathai, is slated to be open around the beginning of 2010, according to an officer at the State Railway of Thailand. Meanwhile, Hopewell is still requesting B28 billion baht in compensation.