COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY DESIGN IN THAILAND

Abstract

This paper focuses on a complex community design and community upgrading project in Thailand and reconsiders the role of the community architect as designer, coordinator, and planner to achieve people’s participation in the community design. The Mettatham community occupied the land of a Thai temple many years ago. After a period of negotiation, an agreement was reached to rent and share the land between the community and other low income living nearby. Land sharing and settlement upgrading were employed to achieve a win-win compromise. The project was financed by the Baan Mankong Programme BMP under the Thai Community Organizations Development Institute CODI . I was appointed to lead the project as a community architect. This paper examines how a participatory design approach can contribute to solving housing problems and promote sustainability for the future. A participatory design approach to build 56 housing units was undertaken through community design workshops and meetings. Working and interacting closely with people who experience poverty and have great ambition to improve their living conditions is the key to engaging with the poor. Employing simple tools and flexible budgets opened new methods and collaborations within the community and people became increasingly involved in the process to ensure their needs were met

Keywords

• Community architect,community participation,low-income community,sustainability

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