Modern Trade Urbanism: The Retail Mega-Project of Bangkok, Thailand

摘要

Thailand has been an agricultural-based country for centuries; recently, influences from the internationalization of the urban space economy and the complexity of market changes have created an urban environment where retail investors are participating in the rapid acquisition of large tracts of land, retreating from the city core with forceful intensity. It appears to be a shopping spree by investors, resulting in the rise of the peripheral shopping city. The urban condition of Bangkok has been shaped by the expansion of the modern retailer at every scale, from convenience store to hyper-mart. But the city is still in the infancy of this transformation. It does not only impact the urban fabric, but also the culture of the city and the suburb. This paper examines the historical development of retail business in relation to urban development in Bangkok Metropolitan. It includes a historical study of urban development and urbanization in Thailand; the evolution of retail business in Bangkok Metropolitan from the 1950s to the present (from the development of the department store by Chinese merchants, to the models of shopping malls adopted from the west, to the rise of the shopping complex in the 1980s, to the development of a new retail landscape by foreign retailers in the past decade); a review of Thai planning law, policy, and legal mechanisms related to the development of modern retail, along with a comprehensive study of planning law and policy for large scale retail from international perspectives; and a speculation of Thailand's retail development in the future.