Makkasan shouldn't sprout malls
It's dismaying to read that the Makkasan complex could be turned into something other than parkland.
If the government really wants to bring happiness to the people, surely this is a prime opportunity to turn the whole 500 rai into a park. Instead, a pathetic 150 rai (about 71 acres) is proposed for use as a park, another 100 rai as roadway, and no less than 300 rai for commercial use, including possibly a casino, of all things.
To put the 500 rai in context, Hyde Park in London has 885 rai, right next to Kensington Gardens, another 695 rai. The football pitch at Old Trafford is 4.5 rai.
Bangkok, with a population in excess of 8 million, has an estimated 3.3 square metres of green space per capita. Compare this to an average of 39 in other Asian cities.
Makkasan is state-owned land, so ultimately the state can do what it wants with it. Covering the balance of 300 rai with social housing that people could afford would make sense, but what is the point of further commercial development? We are already witnessing the opening of more and more shopping centres selling overpriced goods to tourists and the tiny minority of Thais who can afford them. At the same time, high-end and ridiculously high-rise apartment buildings are springing up all over Bangkok. The gap between rich and poor grows ever more disgracefully and dangerously wide. Surely such values sit uncomfortably with Buddhist ethics.
There is an overwhelming case for turning the whole of the Makkasan area into a recreational zone for the benefit of everyone to enjoy in our lifetime and for future generations. Think how they will bless us for such foresight. We should be out in the streets marching to claim this amenity, which is owned by all Thais, and which should be developed for their enjoyment.
Hugh Walford
