Megacities of Asia City Report Bangkok PDF

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Essay on the city of Bangkok with research and sources for Megacities of Asia....

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Abstract (What 2 major issues influenced your city since 2000?) Bangkok, Thailand has been influenced by a variety of different factors, but there are also a variety of factors which have influenced the way that Bangkok operates today. Two factors which have influenced Bangkok are pollution and human trafficking. Human trafficking is widespread across the globe, but the numbers of human trafficking in Asia are monumentally larger than those anywhere else. Bangkok alone has been coined as even being a central point for human trafficking, despite being part of the industry is voluntary, in some cases it proves to be what many believe is the best circumstance. The victims of those trafficked risk their lives, safety and health everytime they are out on the streets. Another influential factor inside Bangkok is the immense automobile pollution which is produced annually. This pollution damages the environment and has only a negative impact on the quality of life to those who live there. Although alternative ways of transportation are available, a majority of people prefer to take their cars even if it means driving in unsafe traffic conditions and degrading the environment. The overuse of automobiles has however allowed for advancements in public transit, rendering it a more readily available, cheaper, and environmentally friendly alternative.

City Report: Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok is one of the many megacities in the world, meaning it has a population of over the 10,000,000 needed to satisfy the definition. Many megacities are seen as the start of a socioeconomic revolution as well as developmental statues and models for urban planning. Other famous megacities of the world include Tokyo, Shanghai, Delhi, Beijing, and New York City

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just to name a few. Although the cities are all considered to be megacities, they each are composed of their own culture, rendering them incomparable on a deeper level. In fact, Bangkok as a megacity has made a name for itself with its popular nightlife, temples, accommodations, inexpensive shopping, and beautiful beaches, making it an ideal tourist destination. The cultural of Bangkok consists of an equilibrium between their modernity and tradition, which coincide in harmony and are one of the most distinct things about the city itself. Consequently, the city has a lot to analyze in regard to its economic structure, socio-political issues such as human trafficking, environmental stress, transportation and within its urban planning policies. With the city having so much gone on, it is important to look behind the scenes and see how things operate, and what goes into this making of this megacity. The United Nations (2014) research provides information claiming Bangkok is listed as the 26th largest megacity in the world. Culturally, the constant stream of tourism allows the city to be influenced by modernity, yet the city has not had a problem retaining its appreciation of traditional values and Buddhist spirituality. When it comes to the demographics of the city, according to the United Nations (2014) Thailand itself has 64 million residents and approximately 9.3 million of them live in Bangkok. Of the people in Bangkok, the United Nations (2014) also reports that up to 93.6% practice Buddhism, designating it the most popular religion in the city, as well as in the country. The official language of the country itself is Thai, and there are several different distinct dialects spoken, according to the United Nations (n.d.), the different dialects are spoken in the central, northern, southern and lastly the north-eastern regions, in which the dialect closely resembles the Lao language. Bangkok itself has been the capital since 1782, which by default makes Bangkok the most significant metropolitan area in

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the country. The balance of tradition and modernity is very important to those who live in Bangkok, while the city atmosphere provides for a modern approach to life, providing a multitude of different cultural and historical Buddhist temples within older parts of Bangkok. There is no denying that Bangkok alone is diverse, presenting a constant juxtaposition of large office buildings and ancient temples, high-class condominiums and elaborate slums. In the city, it is not rare to see ragged construction workers dining alongside sharp businessmen and women. This high functioning megacity also serves as a starting place when looking at economic disparities and gives the ability to compare and contrast with many other cities. The United Nations (2014), suggests that Bangkok's per capita income is almost triple the Thailand national average of $8,135 USD per year. Conversely Wissink & Hazelzet (2016, p.g. 164) reported that economic growth in the city has created new middle class which attracts domestic and foreign migrants, and following this, Bangkok experienced an influx of cheap labor. Winssink & Hazelzet (2016, p.g. 164) have even gone as far as to say that Bangkok has become one of the most unequal cities in the world, both regarding income and wealth. This imbalance has created a sense of classist segregation inside Bangkok, thus obscuring privileges due to the well off not being aware of the circumstances of lower income groups. The persisting classism is only hindering the growth of the city in an ethical approach, due to the inequalities provided. The socio-political structure depends solely on the interactions between political and social factors. Due to instability in the government, human trafficking has taken over the lives of thousands of women, who put their lives in danger. According to the video Thailand Documentary 2015 Darker Side of Bangkok, published by Opib Laminimi of Documentary World (2015), explores the side of Bangkok which is often overlooked. The toursitic aspects of

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the city, to locals especially, are a facade as there is much more that goes on under the surface. The video (Documentary World, 2016) followed a covert of special forces who joined with an international team of undercover investigators with the quest to hunt an infamous sex trafficking ring. According to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (McLaughlin), Thailand has been pragmatically labeled as a hotspot for victims involved in human trafficking. These victims are unaware that they potentially could be beat, raped, gangbanged, or murdered by criminals with the intent to exploit them. The issue of human trafficking is recognized around the world, but with a megacity it can be hard to disrupt the ring and end the trafficking, given how broad the ring can grow to be. Unethical behavior such as this is experienced across the globe, nonetheless it is an integral problem inside the megacities of Asia and further aggravated by poverty. Alongside the many people that reside in Bangkok, an essential part of assuring the city will run smoothly relies on its urban planning policies. The city is advancing yet it is still held back by conditions such as the previously suggested housing segregation, for example. Quantitative data provided by Nakamura et al. (2016) uses the concept of Quality of Life, also know as QOL, which was developed to evaluate the wellness in theoretical angles and how they would be affected by urban policies. This index system was originally developed as part of city-based sustainability indexes which measure the effectiveness of urban policies. According to Nakamura et al. (2016), “The results showed that people value different indicators of residential quality according to the development stages of urban growth.” Measuring the progress of urban policies has allowed the city to prevent things like flooding typical in regions of Southeast Asia, and has given opportunities to improve already existing parts of the city, which have been found

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unfavorable by the residents. In order for megacities to grow without major disaster, careful planning must be considered. An integral problem which coincides with urban planning is the inefficient roadways for the megacity which are generally congested. The congestion in the megacity may come from the Nakamura et al. (2016) report that states the streets of Bangkok were modeled after American-style development, and emphasizing wide roads while ignoring railway development. In Megacities: The New Global Community, Wendy Slone (2014 p. 87), notes that there are three different types of metros which comprise the mass transit network in Bangkok. The three metros as Slone (2014 p.87) notes are the Skytrain which has been active since 1999, an underground subway, and lastly an elevated road and rail structure which was planned but had not worked out due to financial difficulties. There are a series mass rapid transits and bus rapid systems that are often cheaper to build, more profitable, and are more cost friendly to the many commuters in the city. Transit-oriented development is always going to grow in Bangkok, to work faster, smarter, and to accommodate more people. For a megacity, the goal is not to have a transit system, but the goal is to have a well evaluated transit system, from a variety of perspectives, that would genuinely improve residential life, something that Bangkok is still working towards. Having a well established transit system would not only improve the quality of life, but it would also cut down on the number of fuel emissions in such a congested city. One of the many things Asia is known for is its monumental amounts of annual air pollution. Air pollution is damaging in many ways, and it can have several negative impacts on not only the environment, but also on human health. Kewalee Suebyat and Nopparat Pochai (2018, p.2) report that the main

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pollutants which Bangkok emits yearly come from car exhaust, which emits particles that damage the human respiratory system. Suebyat and Pchai (2018, p.2) note that “Scientists are concerned that the particles carrying toxic chemicals, such as nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide, when deeply inhaled, can be harmful to people’s health.” An alternative route to the over congested and pollution-ridden streets would be to take the mass transit system, which expedites travel at a better convenience for transportation. The city of Bangkok has a variety of things to offer, due to its balance of modernity and tradition. Although plagued by human trafficking, classism, and environmental degradation, the city has been continuously improving their transportation efforts and prioritizing their urban planning policies and development. After minimizing the stress of the negative impacts in the city, the city will continue to grow and flourish at the rate it has been. The city of Bangkok is encapsulated with culture, and with population rates rising it is important that the city moves in a sustainable direction, which will certainly benefit the city as a whole.

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Works Cited Documentary World, & Laminimi, O. (2016, January 20). Thailand Documentary 2015 Darker Side of Bangkok. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwKzAd6blTE&t=1544s McLaughlin, L. (n.d.). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html

Nakamura, K., Morita, H., Vichiensan, V., Togawa, T., & Hayashi, Y. (2017). Comparative Analysis of QOL in Station Areas between Cities at Different Development Stages, Bangkok and Nagoya. Transportation Research Procedia, 25(World Conference on Transport Research - WCTR 2016 Shanghai. 10-15 July 2016), 3188-3202. doi:10.1016/j.trpro.2017.05.361

Slone, W. (2014). Megacities: The new global community. Dubuque, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

Suebyat, K., & Pochai, N. (2018). Numerical Simulation for a Three-Dimensional Air Pollution Measurement Model in a Heavy Traffic Area under the Bangkok Sky Train Platform. Abstract & Applied Analysis, 1-10. doi:10.1155/2018/9025851

United Nations Thailand. (n.d.). Emerging Status. Retrieved from http://www.un.or.th/services/population/

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United Nations Thailand. (2014). Emerging Status. Retrieved from http://www.un.or.th/services/emerging-status/

Wissink, B., & Hazelzet, A. (2016). Bangkok living: Encountering others in a gated urban field. Cities, 59164-172. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2016.08.016...