Bangkok’s Deputy Governor Wallop Suwandee received the 2011 Asian Townscape award at Japan's United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) Fukuoka Office.
According to Thai News Agency, the prizes are organised by the Fukuoka Office together with related Japanese agencies.
The criteria for winning the award includes promotion of life safety, the importance given to art and culture, correlation between the town's landscape and its people’s way of life, the town’s creative projects, and being a pilot scheme for other cities in the future.
Bangkok presented itself with the project of “The Living Bangkok Heritage”. This is a development project with tangible conservation outcomes in four selected areas of old town Rattanakosin Island -Plabpla Maha Jetsadabodin Ground, Santichaiprakarn Park, Nakarapirom Park and Sanam Luang Ceremonial Ground.
The consideration for the prize winner consists of three processes: the primary selection of towns/projects, onsite inspection by judging committee's representatives from various countries, and the award judgement itself.
In addition to Bangkok, South Korea’s Jeju and Pohang and Japan’s Kumamoto also won the “2011 Asian Townscape Awards”