The riverfront area along the Chao Phraya has long been a hotspot for land developers. During the last few years, the banks of Charoen Krung Road and Charoen Nakhon Road — which run along and with access to the river — have been transformed into addresses for pricey condominiums, five-star hotels or community malls.
The rush to gentrify the riverfront has become more intense. Countless commercial projects have sprung up, many of them replacing traditional communities, temples and abandoned warehouses. On the far side of Charoen Krung Road, the popular Asiatique shopping complex has sparked many new ideas to turn the area into commercial zones. TCC, a land developer owned by whiskey tycoon Charoen Sirivattanabhakdi, is poised to open Asiatique 2 on the Thon Buri side of the river. There will also be a mega project such as The Landmark Waterfront near Wat Sutthi Warraram, Icon Siam near the Hilton Millennium Hotel and Yodpiman Riverwalk near Pak Klong Talat. It is reported that the Yip-insoi family, a major landlord in the Charoen Krung area, is also planning to develop their property, too.
Chic is in, too, along the river. Celebrity architect Duangrit Bunnag moved offices to an old warehouse in Khlong San last year, and developed the formerly unglamorous area into a compound that houses a restaurant, furniture shop, coffee house and bookshop. Next year, Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC) will move its headquarters from the Emporium shopping complex to the General Post Office building, which overlooks the river.
But amid the real estate rush, one community is serving as a model on how to combine the traditional with the urban. Despite its prime location, the century-old Talad Noi — on Charoen Krung Road near Si Phraya — bears no signs of heavy construction. There are no cranes, no concrete mixers and no high-rise buildings. Shophouses still make up the area after more than 100 years and though some of them show signs of former glory, they are still occupied by the original families.
Kids still run and play along the narrow streets, motorcycles zigzag and people stroll in the web of small alleys. Spare part shops and small iron smelting shophouses still operate in small alleys smeared with slick, black oil. Despite its rundown atmosphere, more frequently than not, Western tourists are seen peddling bicycles to explore the community.
"If you look at Talad Noi, you will be surprised how the community has stayed away from the radar of real estate developers," said Tuangporn Pitinanon, an architect working for Yan Chin Thin Bangkok (Bangkok Chinatown) project. With an aim to use architecture to help develop and preserve cultural icons in Chinatown, the project is a collaboration of the Thai Health Foundation and Arsom Silp Art Institute.
"The physical geography of the community — narrow alleys and small plots owned by various people — makes it impossible for real estate developers to acquire huge sites. Without the small roads and fragmented plots, this area might have had high-rise condominiums built a long time ago," said Tuangporn, whose project is run from a space within the Talad Noi community.
Roongchan Chalermviriya believes the planned riverfront space will boost community spirit and bring tourists to the area.
Talad Noi's vintage-style houses — while preserving their identity — have also welcomed the art community as the area is more affordable and less crowded than Yaowarat. In the past few years, creative-types have helped transformed the area discreetly. Florian Gypser, an Austrian architect, rented a shophouse in the community nine years ago. He turned the space into a bag shop. Recently, the Soy Sauce Factory — an art space owned by foreigners — opened a gallery in a shophouse believed to be a former opium den, next to a traditional tea shop.
"People are longing for a nostalgic past and Talad Noi is full of those elements," said Tuangporn. She also points out the cultural heritage within the community such as the Gothic-style Catholic church, a vintage Chinese mansion known as "Sow Hong Tai", or even the elegant Siam Commercial Bank office by the river. Tuangporn believes the area has the potential to attract more artistic types. As the TCDC moves into the nearby General Post Office building — an imposing art deco structure — its presence might trigger more interest in the area. From a traditional market selling engine parts to the future of being a creative-nostalgic community, Talad Noi is not new to the concept of change, said Roongchan Chalermviriya, founder of the Khon Rak Talad Noi group, or People Who Love Talad Noi — a civic group whose aim is to develop and preserve the community's culture amid the waves of relentless urban development.
In the old days, Talad Noi was a busy traditional Chinese community. Known as an area with a lot of fire accidents, people started moving out.
"Old people moved out and new people moved in," said Roongchan. "The younger generation and relatives came to visit their families once or twice a year and the community gradually become quieter." The physical organisation of the community too had been changed. In the old days, the community faced the river.
"We once walked along the wooden bridge along the river. But residents and landlords started building houses, shrines or warehouses along the river. The river view was blocked. We hardly see the river or even feel a cool breeze from the river, and our community no longer feels that we are a river community," said Roongchan.
What the group is trying to do is to initiate changes in the community at the physical level and also the spiritual. Works include installing lights in dark places and traffic mirrors at accident-prone intersections. The group is also promoting cultural events such as its nationally famous vegetarian festival, the launch of the Chinese Bah Jarng (Chinese rice-bun) class, opening the community for cultural tours or even inviting artists to draw images of 64 historic houses in the area.
But the next move is the most ambitious. The group is planning to ask landlords of the 750m stretch of riverbank to allow the community to use the land to create a new riverfront space — a promenade for recreational use.
The land is currently owned by a private party, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Treasury Department and also houses a Chinese shrine. The promenade was designed by architects from the Yann Chin Thin Bangkok project.
The initial design envisions a river walk, an open space for the community, a prominent pier and a memorial of Dr Puey Ungpakorn, a respected economist and national figure who was a native of the community. However, the design is only a vision and negotiations with the landlords are still ongoing.
The riverfront project can help the community have a public space and bring in more tourists, said Roongchan. "Our community is by the river, but we have been blocked from the riverfront for many decades. It is time to let the people experience our community's culture from the riverside."
The 750m-long promenade designed by architects at Yan Chin Thin Bangkok. The project hopes to include a walking space, a renovated shrine and a memorial to Dr Puey Ungpakorn, among other things.
Only a few steps from bustling Talad Noi, a big tree is found in the heart of the old community. Buildings more than a century old can be found along the backstreet routes of Talad Noi.
Bicycle tours for tourists are a common sight in the Talad Noi community.
