Thailand's neglected urban heritage: challenges for preserving the cultural landscape of provincial towns of Thailand Online publication date: Sat, 12-Jul-2014
by Worrasit Tantinipankul
International Journal of Tourism Anthropology (IJTA), Vol. 3, No. 2, 2013
Abstract: Historical urban communities in provincial towns across Thailand are facing rapid demolition as a result of urban development. Comprised of simple wooden shop houses reflecting humble architectural craftsmanship, the character of these historical provincial towns is one which reflects unique patterns of urban livelihood and culture in Thailand. And yet, this provincial urban cultural landscape does not figure into the official Thai conception of 'architectural heritage'. This paper discusses the current policies and problems resulting from the Thai state authority's neglect of the value of small town urban communities. Moreover, it also touches upon the technical problem of maintaining wood structures, and discusses the possibilities for their adaptive use to support the continuation of the community's unique everyday activities. This paper argues that there is still hope for saving Thailand's provincial urban heritage due to the rise of ecotourism and participatory cultural heritage preservation principles.
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