Urban Culture in the Marginal Areas of Bangkok and the Periphery

Abstract

The purposes of this article are 1) to present holistically urban growth and changes relevant to current urban development in the marginal areas of Bangkok and the periphery and 2) to analyze the diversity of people’s pattern of life and cultural consumption in such areas. The area of this study includes residential, economic and commercial areas located in the northern and western part of Bangkok, i.e Vipawadee Rangsit, Kaset-Nawamin, Ngamwongwan, Rattanaitbet, Bang Yai and Bangbuathong-Chaiyapreuk junctions. A qualitative method, including participant and non-participant non-formal and in-depth interviews, was used.

The study reveals that the expansion of Bangkok and the periphery is relevant to the trend of urban development in Southeast Asian countries. Such physical development leads to comfort and modernity, including concentration of consumerism and the increase of the urban middle class; whereas diverse problems caused by urban growth and urbanism as a way of life still persist. However, urban development in such areas could be balanced and sustainable if localism in physical, environmental and cultural aspects is stressed.