Bangkok city planning and the curious case of illegal precedent

That extraordinary admission explains much about Bangkok. Historic and contemporary corrupt practices have become partners in the well-established business of environmental vandalism and criminality.

Despite enormous public opposition and legal challenges the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has now allowed construction to proceed, the machinery has moved in and mature trees have been chopped down. The infrastructure of the narrow cul-de-sac in question is already unable to cope with a surfeit of hotels and condominiums, but no provision has been made to cater for even further expansion. This is a textbook example of unsustainable urban sprawl and corruption of the rule of law, all motivated by the ethics of profit before people and safety and fuelled by dirty brown envelopes.

The equation is unlikely to change, and one cannot avoid a sinking feeling that Bangkok will continue to be flooded with illegal construction for a long time yet.

John Shepherd