PMU A and World Bank join forces to build five model cities to develop Thailand's urban infrastructure

PMU A and World Bank join forces to build five model cities to develop Thailand's urban infrastructure 

     In addition to addressing household poverty and building community businesses, urban development research is considered another important responsibility of the Regional Development Capital Management Unit (NSTDA). Therefore, NSTDA has collaborated with academic institutions and partners nationwide to conduct research resulting in establishing more than 19 “urban development companies” in major cities nationwide.

    The city development company is considered a new mechanism of urban development, which develops and coordinates social cooperation with a direction to make tangible changes by focusing on city solutions based on data and knowledge.

     The major principle is to encourage sectors in the area to jointly study and plan development to meet the needs of the people in various dimensions, such as Khon Kaen, infrastructure development; Phuket, health city; and Nakhon Ratchasima, low-carbon city, among others. However, these model cities still find budgetary constraints to their development and must find solutions to move forward.

     Previously, Bangkok was considered the center of Thailand, causing resource allocation and economic growth of the country to be disproportionate, resulting in inequality becoming a chronic problem of Thai society and posing a risk to the development of the country in many ways.

     However, if urban development comes from the cooperation of mechanisms at the area level, policies focused on diversifying development to the regional level will result in balanced, thorough, and sustainable development. Therefore, in collaboration with the World Bank, local universities – Khon Kaen University and its affiliated universities, Chiang Mai University, Prince of Songkla University, Burapha University, and Thammasat University – announced their intention to develop new financial innovations and funding mechanisms for infrastructure development in five major cities across Thailand: Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Rayong, and Nakhon Sawan.

     This partnership aims to provide urban development mechanisms for urban development companies, local governments, government agencies, the private sector, the public sector, and universities in the area, giving them a common role in the design of new financial and investment infrastructure, with higher financial and investment capacities. With the potential of mechanisms at the local level and reduced dependence on the national budget, the problems and needs of local residents are less likely to be delayed because of budgetary constraints. Therefore, seeking new approaches to address financial constraints on urban development is a very urgent issue for Thailand.

Source: Office of the National Council for Higher Education Policy, Science, Research and Innovation (NSTDA)
319 Chamchuri Square Building, 14th Floor, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel. +66 2109 5432