Over the past year, several neighbourhoods in Bangkok's old city have undergone big changes. Saphan Lek, Tha Phra Chan, Tha Tian, Khlong Thom and Woeng Nakhon Kasem, for instance, have made headlines since these old-school quarters have been cleared and upgraded, with the removal of street vendors and the moving in of developers. We can expect a more visible facelift next year.
Part of this massive transformation is likely to be due to the construction of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT)'s subway system. Three subway lines -- blue, orange and purple -- will run through Rattanakosin Island, Samsen and Ratchadamnoen Road to Chinatown and Pak Khlong Talat. There will be at least 10 subway stations dotting the Old City, the ancient area that houses some of the capital's oldest temples and neighbourhoods.
According to Asst Prof Yongtanit Pimonsathean, a town planning and respected conservation expert from the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at Thammasat University, around 40 traditional communities will be affected by the construction.
All these changes are not only brought about by wrecking balls, but mainly investors with fat wallets who see the potential of these old-fashioned areas. The charming colonial buildings built over a century ago might stay and get renovated to suit nostalgic sentiments. The fate of old tenants like those at Woeng Nakhon Kasem near Chinatown has been determined after the original landlord sold the property to real estate developers. What will happen if the developers can't reach an agreement with the tenants? What's more, what if they give in to temptation and smash down the old buildings to build high-rise properties?
Yongtanit points out the lack of clear conservation policies and land use ordinances. Currently, the official town plan provides incentives for developers to build high-rise buildings within 500m around the mass transit stations. These incentives entice land developers to buy property around the lines.
"So traditional buildings might be demolished as those areas are not listed as historic sites, despite all those old shophouses in Chinatown being of high historic value," says Asst Prof Yongtanit, who also conducts the inventory of historic buildings in the old town and Yaowarat area for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
The crux of the conservation problem is that authorities never see these old shophouses as worthy of conservation.
"For the cultural authorities, conservation is all about temples and palaces, not ordinary homes or old shophouses," says Yongtanit.
For example, Rattanakosin Island -- the 1.4 square kilometre area around the Royal Palace -- is strictly controlled by a special committee chaired by experts in construction, conservation, history and the legal system. All developments around the Royal Palace and other historic sites are under close supervision and all changes need permission, which covers everything from the height of the buildings and their designs.
On the contrary, the future of old communities like Yaowarat area depend solely on their landlords. Not all communities are in peril, though. Luen Rit Community on Yaowarat is the first community in Thailand to register as a company in order to to manage and preserve its old buildings with the consent from its landlord, the Crown Property Bureau (CPB).
Still, the fate of many communities remains uncertain, since commercial value is on the rise due to the new transport system. Companies such as TCC Land have already secured many properties in the area and plan to create commercial spaces to cater to cultural tourism.
"The challenge for these developers is to resist the temptation to build high-rises and create new developments that can maintain and preserve the authentic face and soul of the old communities," says Yongtanit. Change, however, is coming from inside too, since old communities also have their own identity crisis.
According to Asst Prof Yongtanit's survey, the young generation from these neighbourhoods have moved out during the last three decades. One in four residents are the elderly, while the other 75% are mostly adults getting older.
"What will be the cultural identity of Yaowarat in the next 10-20 years?" asks the scholar. "How can old generations pass on their cultural identity to the younger generations who tend to move out?"
Five neighbourhoods facing change
Talat Saphan Lek
For over the last three decades, Talat Saphan Lek (literally "the iron bridge") has been a place where people hunt for electronic goods and computer games. This teeming, lively bazaar was nestled on the steel Damrongsathit Bridge across the Ong Arng Canal. Even though the area around the canal is registered as a Fine Arts Department's historic site, which bars commercial activities, two decades ago the BMA gave concessions to private market operators.
In October, this sweltering heaven of electronic goods saw its demise when the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) removed all vendors and began developing the canal banks to accommodate cultural tourism.
The clearance invited praise and criticism. Those who wished to see the return of the "Venice Of The East" say that vendors should have been booted out a long time ago. But community members lamented the dying local businesses and livelihoods, as well as the chaotic charm of the market.
Essentially, the area will not be just another public canal but also a new business area, since it is located near the soon-to-be Wang Burapha subway station — a large junction for the MRT's purple and blue lines. The area is connected to Woeng Nakhon Kasem, an old community with picturesque colonial buildings which have been purchased for 4.5 billion baht by the real estate developer, TCC Land, owned by tycoon Charoen Siriwattanabhakdi.
The demise of Saphan Lek Market signals a change in the landscape and land development in Yaowarat. One DVD vendor said in anger: "The authorities moved poor vendors out to cater to rich developers. Now If you want to buy anything, you need to go to the shopping malls developed by rich investors."
Tha Phra Chan
Tha Phra Chan has long been known as the epicentre of amulet trading. At first, the vendors were concentrated inside the market. But during the past decade, they spilt out around the walls of Wat Maha Thad and overcrowded the footpaths. People need to squeeze through amulet sellers and food vendors and many of them need to walk on traffic lanes.
Since last month, the BMA removed the vendors from the footpaths and opened space up for pedestrians. Vendors were offered to move to a new commercial space in Rama 2 and Bang Buathong. Most shop owners welcomed the crackdown.
"Those street vendors blocked the way. They set up stalls outside my doors for years without having to pay anything," said one shop owner who sells repair kits. But as usual, there is also criticism that the BMA could do much better than just forcing small-scale vendors away.
In a usual trade-off between charm and order, the footpath is now more spacious but the vibe is gone. Meanwhile, the new shopping complex by the river called Tha Maharaj is an example of a gentrification effort catering to young urban customers. At the same time, the CPB, which owns the area, has had buildings repainted and asked tenants to follow regulations on managing waste and public cleanliness. This crummy old street is on its way to becoming a spick-and-span lifestyle hangout.
Woeng Nakhon Kasem in Yaowarat
A few years back, residents of Woeng Nakhon Kasem — known as a haven for musical instruments and kitchenware — jumped with joy when they heard that a subway line would be built near their community. But soon they learned the harsh truth that the train also brought in real estate developers which consequently meant the removal of small tenants. The original tenants managed to acquire a loan worth 3.5 billion baht to purchase land from the Paribatra family, which owns the area, but the area was later sold to TCC land for 4.5 billion baht.
TCC promised to preserve the buildings and reduce rental fees for original tenants. Yet a final agreement has not been reached. There is no final blueprint and development plan but it has been reported that a multi-storey carpark will be built. The only certainty is that many tenants are packing and planning to move out.
The development of Woeng Nakhon Kasem will be the real challenge for TCC. The company deserved big applause for developing Asiatique on the far end of Chaoroen Krung Road. But Woeng Nakhon Kasem is another story. The property is unique and it is filled with history and human faces. Can money and marketing tactics buy personality and soul?
Tha Tian — Pak Khlong Talat
Tha Tian is another picturesque community, with Wat Pho as its centrepiece, that has also housed a bustling market for fish since the Ayutthaya period. Around 10 years ago it had become quiet after the Ministry of Commerce moved out. But the area has enjoyed a revival in the past five years or so with the opening of Museum Siam, plus several chic riverside cafes, restaurants and guesthouses that mingle with the old traditional shophouses. The orange line of the MRT subway runs past Tha Tian-Pak Khlong Talat, with Sanam Chai station located near Museum Siam.
Recently, a large block of old shophouses were renovated and turned into a nostalgic collection of shops selling food and souvenirs. Nobody comes to buy seafood and dried fish any more; visitors are tourists who hunt for photos and the taste of "Thainess".
At the nearby Pak Khlong Talat — the capital's iconic flower market — this year saw the development of Yod Piman, a low rise shopping complex by the river. This area, too, is waiting for more developments after the subway line is finished.
Ratchadamnoen Road
As subway trains brought changes to nearby communities in the Yaowarat areas, the grand dame of Bangkok, Ratchadamnoen Road, seems to be spared from full blown gentrification. The CPB, its landlord, makes sure that the pre-World War I European buildings are well preserved and have been given a facelift from time to time. But in terms of business, the boulevard will never be the same with the construction of the MRT subway, as the orange line comes into operation in the next few years. Yet, change will be gradual as the CPB has many old tenants and many different contractual expirations. Thus, its transformation will take up to 10 years.
After twenty years, vendors and steel bridges were cleared from Khlong Ong Ang, to pave the way for landscape beautification. But residents complain that the area has become too dark, too quiet and dangerous as local trade has died.
Chinatown today.
Tha Phra Chan.
Pak Khlong Talat.
