Bangkok

Global Cities Project 2018

Walking Between Slums and Dreamworlds of Neoliberalism

Get ready to discover Bangkok, a fascinating global city from Pacific Asia. Throughout your journey as a virtual city walker – or flaneur – you will explore the city streets and learn about its characteristics. We will pay special attention to the different agents of urban change in the city, the power relationships between them, and the different types of architecture that can be found in the city. The effects and influences of the global neoliberal economy in the city of Bangkok will also be examined.

Bangkok is the capital and the most populated city of Thailand, with over 14 million people living within its metropolitan area. Out of that number, it is estimated that about 20% of the population of the city lives in informal settlements. Despite this, Bangkok is still a reference of progress in Pacific Asia, with its exorbitant skyscrapers and its modern Sky Train. Bangkok is, above everything, a city of contrasts, where the rich, the poor, the international, the local, modernity and simplicity all coexist in harmony and manifest throughout the city. 

We are going to travel through the city slums and modern-day paradises in order to discover who live in them and why. We will learn about the relationship and the dynamics between the local and the international influences and inhabitants of the city, with the goal of trying to determinate who is the ultimate owner of the city. Whether the city is owned by the locals or by the international elites, both groups have definitely left their marks on the city, which contribute to Bangkok’s unique atmosphere. Get ready to start discovering this wonderful city!