Nikki Blog

While the Bangkok crowds rushed to Siam Paragon on the weekend, I stimulated my natural sense by taking an easy stroll around the famous urban escape at Lumpini Park. But while it is easy to make my way down to Lumpini, other good quality parks are harder to track down even with the help of Google map. Despite Bangkok being shown in a tropical region according to the map, I found it puzzling to see that green spaces are a challenge to find in this latitude of the world.

Do people not realize that we need more parks? Do people not like them because it’s hot outside? Or is it a causal effect that there aren’t enough park to visit so people spend more time indoor? Is this why there are more shopping malls in Bangkok than green areas? Or rows of massage parlors and brothels on Ratchada road and not a single park in sight? Or have we not paid enough tax to earn some green for peace of mind? It’s not enough to just sit there and wish for more green space, so this week I look at why it hasn’t happened and propose a plan of how can we make it into a reality.

Although the local authorities are aware of the complaint that Bangkok lacks green space and have created new parks over the last 10 years, there is still more to be done. This is a serious and timely request, considering we are on the edge of polluting ourselves to dead before the age 60 for those of you who live in areas such as Silom, Siam Squareand Sapan Kwai.

I agree with the argument that most of the time, Bangkok is just too darn hot to be outside, but is that a good reason why we shouldn’t have more parks? Think about it, Bangkok will be cooler if there is more green space, less air-conditions switched on, and if people began to walk instead of jumping into cars to go to the corner store. Like I said, we could do with less exhaust fumes.

Just for the sake of it. Wouldn’t it be nice to see more green space on Ratchada road instead of the endless rows of massage parlors? If only I was rich enough to purchase land legally on Ratchada road, I would surely donate part of it to the local authority for public park. After all, successful parks, such as Benjasiri, have dramatically increased property values in the surrounding area. But now that prime urban real estates are much more scarce and expensive, my tax and everyone else’s contributions probably wouldn’t cover the cost of purchasing new land.

An interesting solution would be to have corporates chip in to sponsor parks. The city of Bangkok should devise guidelines for sponsorship and naming rights, for example having companies contribute 50% of the construction and maintenance cost in exchange for rights to name the new park. It will give an impression that the companies really do care about community welfare and not just after profits for investors. This could be a great marketing tool especially for a troubled telecom company to turn around people’s perception. It would certainly work better than entering another price war and cause ripples through the industry.

An example of how it is done is to look at the United States, where the Americans started the corporate naming rights trend in the ’80 with sporting stadiums. The idea has spread throughout the world as can be witnessed at the Emirates stadium in London or Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo. While moves to rename existing public parks might not be well received because of sentimental value, I see no problem in having new parks named after an airline or soft drink if it means the city gets more green area.

Assuming we do get nice companies to help us build a park, big challenge still lies ahead in trying to satisfy everyone’s notion of what a park should be. Just having a tennis court, a grove of trees and a couple of soccer fields are really old models. People now want to canoe, cycle, hike, climb, rollerblade, and they also want spaces for a chess area, leashed and unleashed dogs and a botanical garden. The lists can get really long, interesting, and exciting if we get everyone to participate. Wouldn’t it be so much more fun to vote for what we want in the park and where we want it than to vote in the upcoming elections? Tell me who is not sick of Thai politics.

Now that I have reasoned with you why we needed more parks and how can we go about making it happen, my sale pitch wouldn’t be completed if I don’t recommend easy assessable parks for you to sample. These are some of the best parks, a welcome respite from the concrete jungle of our city.

Rotfai Park is so compelling and looks so deceptively timeless. It is a great place to go on your second date especially for you MeetNLunch’s people! With a few lakes, an abundance of trees, bicycle tracks, butterfly centers and more, it is easy to forget that you are in the middle of Bangkok. A bicycle can be rented from the nearby shops for 20 Baht and you can ride for the whole day. Depending on your pedaling speed, it takes about half and hour to do one round the park. I indulged myself with two different terrain routes. Awesome!
Accessible by Skytrain to Mo Chit Station, and then a 5 min cab ride.

Benjasiri Park or “Queen’s Park” is the place for sculpture lovers as beautiful Thai sculptures are scattered around the park for admirers. I am very fond of art, and so I strongly support when we can mix green space and beautiful objects together.
Accessible by Skytrain to Prompong Station and it is next door to The Emporium for those of you are more accustomed to shopping malls. Lumpini Parkis definitely a Bangkok version of London’s Hyde Park or New York’s Central Park. Concerts and many events are held here, and there are a range of activities such as chess to weights lifting which you can participate.
Accessible from Rama IV and Wireless road