Community in Transition: Investigating for Anticipating the Neighborhood Change - A Case Study of Klongsan District, Bangkok

Abstract: Klongsan district, the residential area at the west side of Bangkok, lately becomes in the spotlight from being regenerated to be the new must-go attraction for tourists. The coming of mega-projects brings about an influx of visitors flowing to visit such area more than ever before. The shift of neighborhood function has started to affect the local residents both in positive and negative ways. Thus, this certain period of time is a critical point for the community in transition to shape the direction between being victimized by the market mechanisms or absorb those developments and treat them as opportunities to strive for the better life. This paper aimed to investigate the circumstance and its primary effects through the perceptions of Suwannaphum Mosque Community’s residents and its key stakeholders. An empirical data gathered from this exploratory study at such early stage has been analysed and discussed under theoretical concepts of community and neighborhood change and could contribute as a starting point for future interventions in urban policies, and bottom-up collaborations to support local communities to capture productive benefits and anticipate negative impacts entailed from the urban process before it offers the great hardship to the communities. In brief, the findings have shown the potentials of the community to utilize their strong social coalition as a tool to preserve the social and cultural norms as well as embrace and adjust themselves to handle the surrounding rapid changes, simultaneously.