Boonanan Natakun

There is great interest in promoting urban nature-based solutions for informal settlements in the global south, for their contributions to climate change adaptation and disaster reduction, alongside other potential social, environmental, and economic benefits. However, top-down solutions might lead to unsatisfactory or even unjust results, while ground-up initiatives might remain under-resourced and difficult to scale. Taking a wider perspective, this research explores the social conditions, governance, and institutions which enable or disable the development of urban nature-based solutions and influence their outcomes in policy targeted at informal housing improvement. This research-in-progress first attempts to (1) adapt the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework by Elinor Ostrom for informal housing communities, before (2) applying the framework to the case of 3 upgraded informal settlement projects in Bangkok. By conceptualizing communal urban nature-based solutions such as shared green space as novel commons, we explore the use of the IAD framework as a tool to analyze opportunities and obstacles for different stakeholders – policymakers, community leaders, community members, NGOs, and academics – to take collective action to implement and maintain communal nature-based solutions across different stages of the informal housing upgrading process.The IAD framework has been mostly used to analyze socio-ecological systems whereby users have to manage an ecological resource they share and are all economically dependent on, such as timber or fish. However, shared urban nature-based solutions in informal settlement may not fit this definition, even if some economic benefits can be reaped e.g. from selling produce from community gardens. Yet, urban nature-based solutions are important in helping communities adapt to disasters and enhance their climate resilience. For example, green spaces can provide some cooling effect in the context of increased temperatures and contribute to food security of the communities. We refer to the literature to adapt the IAD framework into one that is better fit for the purpose of understanding urban-nature-based solutions and the role they play in promoting the climate resilience and adaptative capacities of marginalized urban communities, draw on other concepts like collective action and novel commons, and incorporate different stakeholder roles into the model.Thereafter, we attempt to apply the adapted framework to the case of community gardens in upgraded informal settlements in Bangkok under the government’s Baan Mankong project. We draw on previous and ongoing research, which includes surveys, interviews, and observational data on the development of community gardens and their perceived benefits to community members in each settlement, and levels of participation with regards to the community garden. The Baan Mankong project is an example of collective housing upgrading and is noted for its scale and for being a government-driven, institutionalized policy rather than initiated by NGOs. By applying the IAD and corroborating them with field data where possible, we not only illustrate the use of the framework in policy targeting informal housing improvement and nature-based solutions but also contribute empirical insights and identify hypotheses for future research on the Thai context.

This article investigates an emerging creative practice led by elderly individuals and residents in Baan Thachang, a rural village in central Thailand. The focus is on Chara Chatri , an unconventional Thai performing arts troupe, as an example of creative ageing practices. The study examines how community resources, combined with the culturally innovative performances of Chara Chatri disseminated through online platforms, captivated audiences and generated income during the COVID-19 lockdowns from 2020 to 2021 and beyond. Employing observation and interview methods, this research seeks to understand the establishment and sustainability of this practice. The analysis indicates that this unique form of performing arts, integrated with local community resources, provided a creative solution to mitigate the economic and social impacts of the pandemic. Elderly performers, regarded as valuable human capital, alongside the local social, cultural and physical resources, significantly contributed to the community’s resilience. The creative ageing practice within the Baan Thachang community, coupled with the collective efforts of its members, presents a model that could be adapted in other settings. This model illustrates how the synergy between the wisdom of elderly individuals and creative practices, supported by community resources, can foster resilience at both the individual and community levels.

The paper presents a case study of art activism in Nang Loeng, a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok, Thailand. Long recognised for its rich cultural heritage from food to architecture, Nang Loeng has established its name as a site of cultural tourism, drawing interest from tourists, artists, and professional experts. Like many neighbourhoods nearby, Nang Loeng today is being threatened by looming gentrification and eviction, as the inner city is transforming itself into a tourist destination. In particular, the upcoming underground construction has put their housing security under pressure. The paper first discusses the context of rail‐led urban transformation in historic Bangkok, fuelled by the discourse of transit‐oriented development. Then, it introduces Nang Loeng and their series of art‐based programmes. Disappointed by their failure to secure housing tenure from the landlord, Nang Loeng residents have turned to activism as a tool of resistance. Here, the paper pays particular attention to the role of community architects who creatively translates neighbourhood concerns into artistic forms. Through the case of Buffalo Field Festival, the paper illustrates how the community architects, artists and local residents collaboratively use Nang Loeng's cultural assets to make subtle political statements.

This paper presents the ‘Kin Dee You Dee’ (Thai for ‘Eat well, live well’) toolkit, which comprises three sets of serious games aimed at facilitating discussions and transformative learning on resilience to urban low-income communities. The first stage of the toolkit creates awareness of key concepts related to resilience, the second stage allows participants to map individual and community assets and identify risks associated with them, and the final stage encourages participants to reflect upon potential threats and to create a strategic plan in response. The study examines the toolkit’s potential in increasing meaningful community engagement and participation, and enhancing disaster risk awareness through the application of the toolkit in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region and Udon Thani province, which are areas that are highly exposed to climate risks. This paper presents the concepts, development and application of the ‘Kin Dee You Dee’ toolkit, concluding that it is a useful tool that can allow policymakers and other involved stakeholders in city development projects to engage with communities and increase risk awareness.

This paper explores how organised urban communities in Bangkok are planning for and responding to environmental and other crises, to identify approaches to fostering more sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban development. Lower-income residents may not have access to support systems such as disaster insurance, so being able to use existing assets can offer an opportunity for successful coping and adaptation strategies to future shocks. The study explores what actions are taken by lower-income residents to cope and adapt using their individual and collective assets in response to current and future hazards – especially in contexts where social capital is strong from a history of collective slum upgrading. It shows that such asset-based approaches can be an entry point for cooperation between these communities and other stakeholders, including local government, local NGOs and others, and there is scope to further strengthen asset-based adaptation approaches through legal and institutional measures.

The phenomenon of urbanization has placed Bangkokians in situations with relatively limited living spaces. Middle-income nuclear families generally choose to live individually in either small condominium units in the city center or small semi-detached houses in suburban areas, with relatively little concern or care for their neighbours. Lower middle-income families, on the other hand, tend to live in Bangkok’s periphery, with their relatives where possible, sharing limited resources for basic living such as food, housing, and finances. The current study examines row house design in suburban Bangkok that typically houses lower middle-income families, with the aims of investigating how these families modify living spaces in order to support their lifestyles. Data collected via interviews, observations, and physical as well as behavioral mappings led to two key findings with respect to how lower middle-income families optimize uses of their row houses. First, they maximize the uses of both interior and exterior spaces in order to house extended family members in a way that encourages successive generations to take good and close care of each other. This suggests a return to traditional Thai reciprocal living culture where the older generations help raise grandchildren while those of working ages create income and take care of the older generations in return. Second, income-generating activities can be held at home, with minimal labor costs, allowing each family member to contribute in some ways to the overall household income. Regarding the minimal building costs that arise through small land plots and limited habitable spaces, we conclude by recommending an alternative row house design to better serve the varying and incremental needs of multi-generational lower middle-income families in Thai social context.