Our constant need for connectivity and convenience is the mother of invention

As social creatures, it is human nature to want to contact each other to exchange our thoughts and share information. This desire has driven the development of communications and related technological systems to improve the way we interact easier than ever.

One example is how far we have come from using public telephone booths to personal handheld mobile telephones, or using personal computers that can be connected to the Internet and to portable smartphones. We can see there are also many modes of public transportation ranging from large-scale mass transit projects such as the skytrain to more modest, small-scale counterparts such as motorcycle taxis. All these choices concurrently exist and are used by everyone at appropriate and convenient moments of their daily lives.

It is also true that the more developments emerge, the more humans continue to seek out greater conveniences than ever before. This has given rise to tools that frequently incorporate multiple purposes. The best example of this constant innovation is the development of the mobile telephone over time.

Initially used as a portable replacement for landline telephones, messaging functions were added to replace the pager. Then it could be connected to the Internet to offer many functionalities of the personal computer. Our mobile telephones can also be used to make payments in lieu of credit cards. These smartphones will have the potential to add on many more functions in the future. In doing so, people will have the choice of a wider range of conveniences in one tool and they can increasingly supplant the use of other pre-existing tools.

The only obstacle to increasing the use of conveniences is the high price barrier of technology, which can only become affordable when it is produced and used in massive numbers. Therefore, the unavoidable challenge that has to be balanced in the mind of every inventor and manufacturer is how to develop new conveniences that are also affordable. The answer to striking the right balance is to understand the clients and their ability to pay in order to create a product or service that they feel delivers value for money.

When we think of developing urban residences, one of the most important considerations when selecting locations is its accessibility to convenient transportation routes. Convenient daily commutes is the criterion on which most buyers put the highest priority in their lives. That has made residences in close proximity to mass-transit systems gain primacy as people value the ease of convenience they afford.

However, if we were to carefully assess the actual numbers of residents within a single project who frequently use these mass-transit systems, we would see that only a minor proportion of people actually use these systems daily. This could be because their destinations are not close to these mass-transit systems or because they have their own cars.

Consequently, alternative transportation routes are of equal importance. Shortcuts are beneficial for those who travel by car and want to avoid traffic jams, as is the availability of other transportation options such as taxis and motorcycle taxis that can meet residents’ needs and requirements.

It is increasingly difficult to locate new plots of land that have that many transportation options. Land that is close to existing mass-transit systems are increasingly harder to find due to intensive competition and rising land prices.

We believe that good value for money packages in such locations in central Bangkok should range from Bt135,000 to Bt140,000 per square metre.

Of the few plots of land available near mass-transit systems, developers also have to evaluate their true potential in terms of access routes to main roads and whether they are located in communities with access to alternative modes of transportation. The land should also be priced at levels at which developers can still create reasonably priced residential packages.