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This thesis examines the interplay of the local and global in lakhon phleng, also known as musical theatre, in Thailand through the lens of aesthetic cosmopolitanism. It constitutes the first systematic study on the contemporary scene of lakhon phleng, focusing on works from 1990 until 2021. In particular, this thesis argues that lakhon phleng is a product of an ongoing process of cultural hybridity, fusing elements from Thai aesthetics and decorum with those from external, largely Anglo-American, sources. As such, it has played an active role in the transnational flows of the musical theatre art form. In doing so, it analyses two key contemporary practitioners in Thai commercial musical theatre, Patravadi Mejudhon and Takonkiet Virawan. The former's musicals (active in the early 1990s) were mostly adapted from Thai classical literature and created in collaboration with international artists. The latter's big-budget musicals from 1997 onwards were so commercially successful that they sparked national interest in the art form of lakhon phleng and growth in the number of musical productions, theatre companies, and training programmes in urban Thailand. Apart from these two practitioners, this thesis examines an artistic project titled Musical Lab organised by practitioners of small-scale musical theatre, in which the researcher was directly involved. This project brought to light the perspectives of musical theatre practitioners, both professional and amateurs, in the small-scale musical theatre as well as key social factors that enabled subjects' mobility in the musical theatre community in Thailand. Despite the focus on recent history, this thesis also contextualises the present via a chronological discussion of lakhon phleng in Thailand from the reign of King Rama V (1868- 1910), examining the prototype of the art form known as lakhon rong and its early development by key practitioners such as Prince Narathip and Phran Bun who significantly shaped the art form's artistic styles and popularity. Written by a Thai musical theatre performer trained in Thailand, Singapore, and Britain, the thesis offers unique insights into lakhon phleng. Personal experiences of training and performing facilitate a discussion of performative techniques, enabling the analysis of hybridity in terms of both performance form and approach. Formal and informal interviews, hitherto untranslated research materials written in Thai, and first-hand experiences derived from witnessing performances and being involved with small-scale theatre in Thailand are incorporated into the analysis to offer unique insights into the ever-growing dialogues between local Thai and global musical theatre.

Due to rapidly changing climate and socio-economic conditions, many coastal areas are becoming increasingly vulnerable to internal and external risks of flooding. Low-lying coastal mega-cities in Southeast Asia are widely recognized as hotspots of flood risk. The Bangkok Metropolitan Region is one of the largest coastal megacities in Southeast Asia that is challenged by the potential impacts of climate change and human activities expected over coming decades. The overarching aim of this research is to evaluate present and future flood risks due to the combined impacts of climate (sea-level, rainfall regime and storm surge) and human (land subsidence and drainage capacity) factors in Bangkok Metropolitan region, Thailand. To design plausible future scenarios, flow and precipitation records were examined using the Log Pearson Type III frequency analysis approach. Land subsidence (LS) and sea level rise (SLR) scenarios were derived from historical records and published studies. Future flood risks (fluvial, surface water, and coastal) were modelled under various combinations of key drivers (SLR, storm surge, LS and increased river flow). The October 2011 flood in Thailand was used as a baseline event for coastal and fluvial flood modelling. Scenarios were designed with projections of LS and SLR to 2050, 2080, and 2100. A two-dimensional flood inundation model (FloodMap) was used to derive coastal inundation depth, velocity and extent associated with each scenario. Coupled modelling of one-dimensional river flow (HEC-RAS) and two-dimensional flood inundation (FloodMap) was undertaken. Surface water flood modelling simulated the 2015 event in model calibration. A two-hour rainfall event that occurred in 2011 was used as the baseline to derive future scenarios with increased precipitation of various return periods and topographies accounting for land subsidence. For each type of flood modelling, sensitivity analysis was first conducted to investigate the effects of mesh resolution and roughness parameters on model predictions. Results indicate that the model is sensitive to both resolution and roughness, but to various degrees, depending on the metrics used in the evaluation. Spatial metrics such as the Root Mean Standard Error, F and point depth are able to distinguish between model predictions and reveal the spatial and temporal derivations between simulations. The impacts of flood risk on critical infrastructure nodes (e.g. power supply, transportation network, rescue centres, hospitals, schools and key government buildings) were then evaluated under various scenarios. Overall, results suggest progressively increased risks of coastal, surface water, and fluvial flooding to critical infrastructures over time from 2050, 2080 to 2100. Flood modelling of coastal and fluvial inundation processes suggests that the combined impacts of individual risk drivers is, in most cases, far greater than any of the individual factors alone. This study demonstrates that flood risks in coastal mega-cities like Bangkok must be evaluated in a holistic manner, taking into account multiple key risk drivers and considering the potential joint-occurrence of various types of flooding. Moreover, where numerical modelling was undertaken and infrastructure data are available, local hotspots of flood risks under various scenarios can be identified, allowing potential adaptation measures to be evaluated within the modelling framework developed. This research is the first to consider multiple flood risk drivers and interacting flood risks within a single modelling framework in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. It will have long lasting legacy for flood risk management in the region and beyond, enabling more effective adaptation in a changing climate through: (i) raised awareness of multiple risk drivers and interacting flood risks for both the public and policy makers; (ii) further and more complete assembly of various data sets when they become available based on the template demonstrated in this study; and (iii) identification of hotspots of critical infrastructure and communities at risk using refined and alternative modelling approaches within the modelling framework developed in this study.

People often have very little knowledge about the impact of unsustainable human population growth on the environment and social well-being especially in developing countries. Therefore, an efficient method should be explored in order to educate, and if possible, to convince the members of the public to realize the environmental and social problems caused by the unsustainable population growth. Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) has been highlighted by some studies as an innovative tool for learning enhancement. While only a handful of studies have scientifically evaluated the impact of DGBL on knowledge outcomes, the approach is an attractive tool to increase knowledge and motivate engagement with environmental issues surrounding population growth because of its potential to improve learners’ motivation and engagement thereby compared to traditional learning approaches. Therefore, the three primary research questions for this study are: 1) "Can a single-player digital game be an appropriate and attractive learning application for the players to gain insight about the relationship between the growing human population and the environmental issues?" 2) "How can we design environmental games for the players to gain insights about the relationship between the growing human population and the environmental issues via playing a game?" and 3) "What are the obstacles preventing the players from adapting environmental knowledge obtained from the learning mediums into the real-life?" To inform the development of an efficacious DGBL game to impact learning outcomes, critical reviews of environmental issues related to population growth as well as critical reviews of commercial and serious environmental games in terms of their educational and motivational values were undertaken in this study. The results of these critical reviews informed the development of a Guideline for Environmental Games (or GEG). The GEG was developed by combining the engaging game technology with environmental learning and persuasion theories. The GEG was then used to inform the development of a prototype game called THE GROWTH; a single-player, quiz-based, city-management game targeting young adolescents and adults. Multiple evaluation methods of the game were used to answer the three key research questions mentioned earlier. These methods included: 1) The Randomized Controlled Trial approach (RCT) where the participants were systematically divided into the experimental and the control group respectively and their knowledge scores (quantitative data) compared and analyzed, 2) The participants’ abilities to recall and describe the environmental and well-being issues were collected and analyzed qualitatively using The Content Analysis method (CA) and, 3) The participants’ overall feedback on the learning mediums was collected and analyzed to evaluate the motivational values of THE GROWTH itself. To this end, THE GROWTH was evaluated with 82 Thai-nationality participants (70 males and 12 females). The results showed that participants assigned to play THE GROWTH demonstrated greater environmental and social-well-being knowledge related to population growth (F(1,40) = 43.86, p = .006) compared to the control group participants assigned to a non-interactive reading activity (consistent with material presented in THE GROWTH). Furthermore, participants who played THE GROWTH recalled on average more content presented in the game when compared to participants who were presented with similar content in the reading material (t (59) = 3.35, p = .001). In terms of level of engagement, the study suggested that participants assigned to the game were more engaging with their learning medium on average when compared to participants assigned to the non-interactive reading activity. This is evidenced by the longer time participants spent on the task, the activity observed from participants’ recorded gameplay, and their positive responses in the survey. The semi-structured interviews used in this study highlighted the participants’ attitudes towards the environmental, social, and technological issues. Although the participants’ perceived behavioural intention towards the environmental commitments were not statistically differed between the two study group, their responses still provide some evidences that leaps may occur from the learning mediums to the real-world context. Furthermore, these responses can be valuable evidences for the policy makers and for the future development of environmental serious games. Overall, the results suggested that digital environmental games such as THE GROWTH might be an effective and motivational tool in promote the learning about sustainable population size, the environment, and the social well-being. The game’s ability to convince the participants to change towards sustainable lifestyles, however, might be subjected to the future research and other real-world circumstances such as the governmental and public supports. In summary, the research in this thesis makes the following contributions to knowledge: • The Guideline for Environmental Games (GEG) contributes to knowledge about making theoretically-based environmental games. It has particular significance because the guideline was validated by demonstrating learning improvements in a systematic randomized controlled trial. • The use of Multi-Strategy Study Design where multiple systematic evaluation methods were used in conjunction to provide conclusive findings about the efficacy of DGBL to impact outcomes. • THE GROWTH itself is a contribution to applied research as an example of an effective DGBL learning tool.

Along with economic growth, an increase in consumption and production activities leads to lethal consequences from polluted air. Currently, air quality has become a critical environmental problem and a persistent concern in many cities in developing countries. Thailand, an upper middle-income country, has been struggling with severe air quality problems for the past decade. Bangkok’s air pollution has exceeded the WHO standards for several pollutants. The main source of ambient air pollution in Bangkok is road transportation. In addition, the number of road vehicles in Bangkok increased by 54% from 2008 to 2020. Air pollution in Thailand is responsible for the loss of 50,000 lives every year. This is a public health crisis where children, the elderly, and the most vulnerable people are exposed to toxic air on a regular basis. In spite of the severity of the problem, the budget for the management of pollution and the environment between 2007 and 2018 was small. Given insufficient funding to address air pollution, the air quality problems cannot be resolved. A possible impediment to the solution is that the total benefit that people will gain if air pollution is mitigated has not been estimated. This study has three major components: First, it investigates the current air pollution environment in Thailand to identify the key determinants of air pollution in Thailand. Second, it explores people’s behaviour toward the use of road transportation and air quality problems in Thailand to determine people’s perceptions, attitudes, and concerns about air pollution. Third, it assesses the willingness to pay (WTP) for improving air quality and the factors affecting WTP for improving air quality. A self-administered survey questionnaire is used to collect the data at public places, such as malls and parks. Additionally, online, mobile phone, and face time/VDO call surveys are employed due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Thailand. The survey estimates the WTP using the double-bounded contingent valuation method. The results indicate that respondents are more likely to pay for improving air quality if 1) they are employed as a government officer, private company officer, self-employed, farmer, or labourer, 2) have knowledge about air pollution, and 3) are concerned about air quality problems when using road transportation. However, respondents who have high incomes and live in the city are less likely to pay for improving air quality. High income earners feel that they have paid a lot of taxes when compared with low-income people. Therefore, they are not willing to pay more for improving air quality. Moreover, respondents who live in urban areas face high costs of living which might lower their priority on clean air due to economic constraints. The results of the WTP estimates reveal that the total benefit that people would gain from air quality improvement is 15 billion Baht in 2020, for the city of Bangkok alone. During that same year, the Thailand environmental expenditure budget for air pollution was 11 billion Baht, for the entire country. These results suggest that the Thai government should dramatically increase the environmental expenditure budget for air pollution. A more appropriate budget would provide needed support and demonstrate a commitment to solving the country’s air quality problems.

This research aims to define characteristics, interrelations, and transformation processes of urban representations and representations of space of the Sukhumvit Corridor in Bangkok, Thailand between 1873 and 2014 through archival materials. Urban representations are socio-economic images of a city that are generated via media, while representations of space are the areas within the city in which urban representations take place. The results from the analysis are chronologically explained in five periods: the Semi-colonial Period (1873-1932), the Nationalism Period (1932-1957), the American-influence Period (1957-1973), the Early Global Period (1973-1997), and the Global Period (1997-2014).

The novellas and stories in North, South, and City follow key moments in the lives of a diverse cast of characters—including ethnic minorities on the margins of state influence, upper-class urban Thais, and Westerners at both ends of the economic spectrum—as they make their way through the changing landscape of contemporary Thailand.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) has a significant potential for distributed energy in the urban environment of Bangkok, Thailand in order to decrease the country’s reliance on imported conventional energy and enhance the country’s energy security. This research analyzes the technical, economic and policy analysis of installing 3,000 MW (Thailand’s solar PV goal) of residential solar PV in Bangkok using System Advisor Model (SAM) and also compares each analysis to large-scale load (e.g. manufacturing). In technical analysis, the relationship of distributed solar energy and electric load from the grid is analyzed. While the residential load and peak solar irradiance are not correspondent for residential scale, generating electricity from 3,000 MW of solar PV can still decrease residential daily load consumption from the grid by 38 percent. On the other hand, the distributed of solar energy and large-scale load are well matched. As a result, the large-scale peak load can be reduced by 16.7 percent from 3,000 MW solar installation. Regarding to economic analysis, the levelized cost of energy of residential scale is higher than large scale. Without tariff, costs of solar electricity are higher than grid price. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce solar tariff to encourage people to install solar PV. Throughout solar project’s lifetime, with current Thailand’s solar incentives (Feed-in Tariff; FIT), solar project investments of both scales seem feasible from financial perspectives under Thai’s government cost assumptions. In addition, due to the increasing urbanization rate and typical land use of Bangkok, residential solar PV seems to be the better candidate. However, some technical and policy barriers remain, such as the lacks of skilled manpower, policy mix, and financing options as well as the inconsistence of governmental support. It is essential for Thai government to overcome these barriers in order to create sustainable growth of solar PV in the country.

In the city of Bangkok, where food vendors play a large role in tourism and in the livelihoods of residents, the current military coup seeks to eradicate them for the sake of traffic control (Bhowmik 2005). Although this conflict of space is not new to the political discourse of Bangkok, this thesis proposes to suggest urban design recommendations derived from local examples of vending markets through the embedded case study method. Lessons learned from functioning markets serve to strike a favorable solution for the sake of accommodating the rapid growth of Bangkok and its vendors.

This is an ethnography of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. It is about life along the river and its canals, the culture of water in a modern metropolis. More broadly, this is a study of the relationship between memory and landscape. Waterways, at the time of writing, are still an important part of Bangkok's urban infrastructure. I use waterways to explore collective memory. What meanings are found in waterways? How do waterways connect people and places? How do waterways connect past, present, and future? I examine stories, images, and senses of a collective past. Memory and landscape are often entangled with national myths and ideologies, but Bangkok's waterways can also allow us to see the nation in new perspectives. Some of the prominent themes discussed in this ethnography are: stories of national origin; continuity, change, and the landscape of loss; forgotten violence and the experience of landscape; heart-spirit and notions of collective trajectory; and the place of Islam in Bangkok and the Thai nation. This ethnography is based on 16 months of fieldwork in Thailand, mostly during 2012 and 2013.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing quality of life among street vendors in Bangkok. A total of 360 samples were used who were at aged 18 years old and over. Quality of life was measure by a brief WHO Quality of Life indicator in Thai (WHOQOL-BREF-THAI). Samples were selected by using multiple stage sampling. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson’s productmoment correlation and stepwise multiple linear regression. The study found that 78.9% were at a fair level of quality of life while 20.8% were at a good level. The factors that predict quality of life among street vendors are age, health insurance, health promoting behaviors, family relationships, relationships among fellow street vendors and the perception of policy on promoting informal labor, these six variables predicted for 67.10% of quality of life among street vendors. The findings from this study recommend that among street vendors, the administrators of Bangkok and relevant agencies should increase knowledge about health insurance and annual health check as well as self care. It should also promote relationships at both family and social level, publicize the policy on informal labor and promote the integration of the Informal labor network.

As Bangkok built toward a turbulent climax of street violence between 2001 and 2010, the nation's political fault lines began to manifest themselves as a series of stories, films, and creative work about politics in the city. Behind the "scenes" writers like Uthid Hemamul, Pinyo Traisuriyathamma, Panu Trivej, Kanthorn Aksornnam, and Siriworn Kaewkan framed politics as a particular form of urban visuality. Furthermore, filmmakers such as Apichatpong Weerasethkaul, Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, Pimpaka Towira, Uruphong Raksasad, and Santi Taepanich enhanced this visual perception with an auditory dimension that politicized listening. Together, these creative dimensions re-worked images of the urban street in an attention economy which served a symbolic role in Thai political history. These stories were also unique in their materialization of Thaksin-era power. They opposed the order of a global city standardized in the neoliberal management style of Thaksin Shinawatra, where new cultural and economic reforms were uncritically championed. From the smoldering remains of the Asian Financial Crisis, Thaksin's new thinking brokered a landslide victory in the nation's 2001 election, but opened new political divisions which led to his ouster by military coup d'état in 2006. The case studies assembled here reconstruct images of Bangkok to show how street politics operates as both an opposition to, and extension of, the media conventions of the Thaksin era. My critical approach to creative media serves two ethical purposes. First, it extends the perceptive space of street politics by capturing the everyday dimensions of a new multi-mediated city where mass transit systems and skyscrapers take flight from the landscape of the street. Second, it documents street politics even in the absence of historic protest events. This dissertation thus explains how urban settings come to be perceived as a significant space of political activity, and how the culture of fiction manifests itself in concrete ways at unexpected times.

The dream of home ownership is common in modern societies, but a large numbers of house in the suburbs lead to greenhouse gas emissions, trade deficits and social segregation. Suburbanization is often a result of car-oriented city planning, and Bangkok, the capital and socio-economic center of Thailand, has been developing under a car-oriented city model for several decades, thus resulting in severe traffic congestion. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that a change in Bangkok city planning can reduce CO2 emission and improve the quality of life. Based on the travel diary data, people who live and work in the inner area of Bangkok have the shortest travel time (49 minutes per day); while those living in Bangkok’s suburbs spend 109 minutes per day on average in the car. The differences in travel time can be due to the higher vehicle kilometer traveled (VKT) of those living in the suburbs (37 km per day on average) compared to those living in the inner city (9 km per day). Reduction of VKT via improvement of the metro system and increase in mixed land use can decrease CO2 emission, fossil fuel consumption, diesel fuel subsidies, and conversion of farm land to residential area.

The debate about sustainable forms of transportation has received more attention in recent years as oil reserves are recognized as finite, and carbon emissions contribute to climate change. In Developing Countries (DCs), the rate of automobile ownership is ever increasing, while road capacities remain static, or increase at a much lesser rate. Given that public transportation is largely road-based, this is leading to peak hour gridlock in major cities in the developing world.Bangkok is no exception, and is notorious for traffic congestion. The government recognizes this problem, and has so far committed to investing in a 247 kilometer expansion of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. The construction of the system will not in itself ensure that it will be used, or will have the desired effects on congestion.Transit Development Zones (TDZ) have proven effective in other large, dense Asian cities. This is a concept that, when applied, coordinates land uses and high density developments around largely MRT nodes or transit stations. This paper will evaluate the TDZ concept, and apply it to a study area, the Laksi Sub-District, in Bangkok where a planned transit stop will be located. The study area chosen is a high profile location where a large Government Center was built in 2007.The application of the TDZ concept throughout Bangkok will optimally lead to higher user patronage, walkable places near residences where people can shop, find entertainment and gather as communities. The Laksi case study will hopefully be indicative of this.

This dissertation is an interpretation of architectural transformation in Siam from the mid-nineteenth century to the turn of the twentieth century. During the reign of King Rama V (1868 to 1910). Siamese aristocrats formulated a distinctive conception of civilization–siwilai, in Thai–that became central to changes in both architecture and architectural practice. The dissertation begins with the analysis of architecture of the early Bangkok period, from the late-eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century, in order to understand the correlation between architecture and authority in a traditional Siamese context, the dynamics of stylistic change, and premodern architectural practice. The dissertation then examines the correspondence between attitudes about, and representations of civilization as these produced changes in both architectural style and architectural practice during the first half of King Rama V’s reign. As Siamese aristocrats took Europe and their colonies in South and Southeast Asia as a new paradigm of “civilization,” they made their ideals manifest through hybridized forms of architecture and urban design, forms that were both conceived and mutually created by Siamese and European master builders and patrons. The dissertation argues that administrative centralization during the latter period of Rama V’s rule—which led among other things to the creation of the Public Works Department (PWD)—altered the processes and personnel through which a large-scale remaking of Bangkok was undertaken , especially between 1889 and 1910. The dissertation thus documents how the Siamese PWD transformed architectural practice in Siam after the turn of the twentieth century. If older Siamese architectural traditions were altered (and in some cases terminated), then a neo-traditional Siamese style was created in its place. Through the analysis of archival and architectural data, the dissertation uses architecture as a framework to further our understanding of the ambiguous, syncretic nature of Siamese aristocrats’ conception of civilization that became integral to global transculturation phenomena in the region from the mid-nineteenth century to the turn of the twentieth century.

Background: Childhood obesity has become an important public health problem in Thailand. This study aimed to determine the relationship between self discipline and obesity in Bangkok school children. Methods: A case control study was conducted. 140 cases (obese children) and 140 controls (normal weight children) were randomly chosen from grades 4-6 students in 4 Bangkok public schools. Questionnaire responses regarding general characteristics and child self-discipline were obtained from children and their parents. Results: Self discipline in eating habits, money management and time management were reported at significantly lower levels among the obese group (p < 0.05). After controlling all other variables, it was revealed that the ranking of factors associated with obesity by adjusted odds ratio (OR) were low self-discipline in managing expenses (3.1), poor home environment (3.0,), moderate self-discipline in time management (2.9), television viewing time ≥2 hours/day (2.6), an obese father (2.2), and an obese mother (1.9). Conclusions: It was recommended that parents and teachers participate in child self-discipline guidance,particularly with regard to eating habits, money management and time management in a supportive environment that both facilitates prevention of obesity and simultaneously develops a child’s personal control.

The purpose of this research was to examine task-oriented and socially-oriented leadership patterns in public secondary school directors in Bangkok Metropolis, Thailand. This analysis was conducted to determine if leadership orientation as well as gender-based leadership behaviours were related to school climate. Surveys, questionnaires and interviews were used to obtain data from directors and teachers. Utilisation of cross case study research analysis and qualitative data indicated that gender based leadership traits, rather than administrator gender, appeared to be associated with school climate. This research suggests that an effective instructional leader, at the secondary level, is fundamental to the teaching and learning process. Quality educational leadership promotes positive school climates for teacher satisfaction and student achievement. Research studies have focused upon possible determinants for school climates.

The purposes of the study were to: 1) identify Indian tourists' demographics and travel patterns; 2) examine Indian tourists' motivation to take the Bangkok area trip; 3) examine the level of importance of information sources; 4) identify the level of satisfaction of Indian tourists on their travel experience on the Bangkok area attributes; and 5) examine the intention to return and willingness to recommend the Bangkok area and Thailand. The findings showed that Indian tourists were motivated to visit the Bangkok area by both push and pull factors. Family and/or friends and the Internet were considered as important sources in trip decision making. Indian tourists were generally satisfied with the Bangkok area's attributes. They also showed the desire to revisit and recommend Bangkok and Thailand as travel destinations.

“Big in Japan: The Novel” chronicles the struggles of American Kent Richman, has-been gaijin-tarento. The novel alternates between a collage of tabloid articles, letters, YouTube video, excerpts from an unfinished memoir, manga story boards, botched interviews, notes scribbled on napkins, and a third-person narrative. Set primarily in central Japan, “Big in Japan” is at once a satire of celebrity, a study of personality, a romance and a mystery. Kent Richman—John Lennon look-a-like known as RI-CHU-MAN-SAN! and husband to popular model Kumiko Sato—was a regular on the nightly game show The Strange Bonanza, despite having little talent beyond his resemblance to the popular Beatle. Following a foolish affair with a young Quebecois named Monique Martine, Kent and Kumi’s celebrity world is shattered when Monique’s husband, Australian Denis Ozman—an edgy, violent shock comic—seeks his revenge on Kent and, by default, Kumi. The “Ozman Incident,” as it becomes known in the Asian press, escalates Kent and Kumi to new levels of celebrity, but impels them to abandon stardom and Japan for a new beginning on an island in the Gulf of Thailand. In Thailand, Kent and Kumi try to make a new start, but Kumi is unable to forgive Kent for what Ozman did to them and paradise quickly goes sour. In the frenzy of a passing storm, Kumi disappears with a local entrepreneur named Darren. Kent’s search for her leads him to Bangkok and a painful but puzzling discovery. When we first meet Kent, he has returned from Thailand without Kumi, who has vanished. He is unemployed, abandoned by his once adoring public, and penniless, living in a capsule hotel. Kent’s failings are aggravated by a minor drug habit that leads him to often comical, painful, and revealing extremes. At the heart of Kent’s troubles are the unanswered questions about Kumi’s disappearance and his fall from grace. Once a star, he both abhors and misses his former life. What begins as an attempt to exorcise nagging questions becomes an aimless and dangerous plunge into obsession: why did Kumi disappear, where did she go and what will he do now?

The purpose of this cross-sectional study aimed to collect the data about the effect of the health, social, economics, and environmental factors on the quality of life of the HIV/AIDS patients who attended the hospital and health service center under supervision of Bangkok Metropolitan. The data collection emphasized more about the dimension about the quality of life promotion of HIV/ AIDS patients, especially concerns about the ways to seek the collaboration network needed to solve the problem together. The data were collected during September to December 2007; the samples were 381 HIV/AIDS patients. The general demographic data of the HIV/AIDS patient were described by frequency, percentage, means, and standard deviation. The means of quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients, and the means of care taker responsibility of HIV/AIDS patient were analyzed by percentage, means, and standard deviation. Comparing the quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients were studied follow the two classified factors by using the Independent samples t-test and, when classified, the sample to two or more studied factors, the one - way analysis of variance were used. The Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relation of studied factors and quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients. The study found that most of them were expending a moderate level of quality of life. In comparing the quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients under the different specified factors found that the HIV/AIDS patients who could earn the money, had a job, knew the cause of their infection, knew the way to reveal with the family, and experienced the consultation would have a different means of quality of life. After testing the relation between the studied factors and the quality of life it was found that the age of the HIV/AIDS patient, family relationships, the self care abilities, and duration of exposed to the family were positively related to the quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients (r = 0.124, p < 0.01; r = 0.347 p < 0.001; r = 0.265, p < 0.001). This has implication for health care system in planning and management for a better quality of life by highlighting the desirability of improving self occupation, self income, self-care and disclosure to patients’ families. Further research is needed the implication in supportive interventions for providing a better quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients. An intervention study should be conducted to promote family and health authority support for promoting quality of life. การศึกษาแบบภาคตัดขวางนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยด้านสุขภาพ สังคม เศรษฐกิจและสิ่งแวดล้อมที่มีผลต่อคุณภาพชีวิตของผู้ติดเชื้อและผู้ป่วยเอดส์ที่มารับบริการ ณ โรงพยาบาล และศูนย์บริการสาธารณสุข สังกัดกรุงเทพมหานคร ซึ่งมุ่งเน้นที่จะพัฒนาคุณภาพชีวิตของผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ โดยการหาเครือข่ายที่เกี่ยวข้องในการแก้ไขปัญหาร่วมกัน เก็บข้อมูลระหว่าง เดือนกันยายน ถึงเดือนธันวาคม พ.ศ.2550 มีผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์เข้าร่วมโครงการ จำนวน 381 คน การวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลทางสถิติโดยใช้โปรแกรมสำเร็จรูป โดยข้อมูลทั่วไปของผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ใช้การคำนวณหาค่าความถี่ ร้อยละ ค่าเฉลี่ย และส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน การวิเคราะห์คะแนนเฉลี่ยคุณภาพชีวิตของผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ ใช้ค่าร้อยละ ค่าเฉลี่ยและส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตฐานการเปรียบเทียบคุณภาพชีวิตผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์จำแนกตามปัจจัยที่ศึกษา โดยใช้ Independent samples t-test และใช้การวิเคราะห์ความแปรปรวนแบบทางเดียว (One-way analysis of variance) และวิเคราะห์ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างปัจจัยที่ศึกษา กับคุณภาพชีวิตของผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์โดยใช้สัมประสิทธิ์สหสัมพันธ์ของเพียร์สัน (Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient) ผลการศึกษาพบว่า ผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ ส่วนใหญ่ให้ค่าคะแนนคุณภาพชีวิตโดยรวมของตนเองอยู่ในระดับปานกลาง สำหรับการเปรียบเทียบคุณภาพชีวิตผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์จำแนกตามปัจจัยที่ศึกษา พบว่า ผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ ที่มีรายได้ของตนเอง มีอาชีพของตนเอง มีสาเหตุของการติดเชื้อ และมีการเปิดเผยให้ครอบครัวทราบ ที่แตกต่างกัน จะมีค่าเฉลี่ยคุณภาพชีวิตแตกต่างกัน สำหรับการทดสอบความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างปัจจัยที่ศึกษากับคุณภาพชีวิตผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ พบว่า อายุของผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ ความสันพันธ์ในครอบครัว ความสามารถในการดูแลตนเองของผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ และระยะเวลาที่เปิดเผยให้ครอบครัวทราบ มีความสัมพันธ์ทางบวกกับคุณภาพชีวิตผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ (r = 124, p < 0.01 ; r = 0.347 p < 0.001 ; r = 0.265, p < 0.001) ตามลำดับ ข้อเสนอแนะจากการศึกษานี้เสนอให้มีการวางแผนและการดำเนินการเพื่อส่งเสริมคุณภาพชีวิตที่ดีขึ้นแก่ผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ โดยการให้ผู้ติดเชื้อผู้ป่วยเอดส์พัฒนาการมีอาชีพ การมีรายได้ ความสามารถในการดูแลตนเอง และมีการเปิดเผยให้คราอบครัวทราบได้ดียิ่งขึ้น โดยควรมีการศึกษาแบบกึ่งทดลองเพื่อหารูปแบบที่เหมาะสมในการส่งเสริมคุณภาพชีวิตที่ดีของผู้ติดเชื้อ/ผู้ป่วยเอดส์ในกรุงเทพมหานครต่อไป

The health status of travelers is a critical element for both Thai and foreign travelers coming to Thailand. The objective of this study was to asses the life style and health behavior of foreign travelers visiting Bangkok. A Cross sectional descriptive study design was used to evaluate various factors. Rapid survey results were collected from 125 foreign travelers who were required to understand English at four locations in Bangkok. A structured questionnaire was used as a tool for this study. Selection was systematic randomized, one in every 10 foreign travelers was asked to participate. It was found that 65.6% of foreign travelers were between 21-40 years of age. Twenty two nationalities were found in this study with English citizens the highest represented (21.6%). There were 7 religions identified with Christians being the most numerous (61.6%). More than half of those questioned had bachelor degrees or higher (59.2%), and were employed (50.4%). The majority (74.4%) earned US $1000-4000 per month. Travelers carried belongings such as sun block (74.4%), insect repellant (53.6%) and medicines including anti-diarrheal drugs (50.4%). A full 81.6% secured some form of travelers insurance before going abroad with 71.6% of them including coverage specifically for accidents. Travelers participated in a variety of activities, including shopping (81.6%). 20% of travelers in our sample smoke cigarettes, 48% of this group smoke 0-5 cigarettes per day. Only two respondents (1.6%) had a new sexual partner during travel and reported not using a condom during sexual activity. The survey showed that travelers preferred Thai food (75.2%). The most popular Thai dishes were Pad Thai (55.2%) and Tom Yum soup (39.2%). When drinking water, respondents indicated they chose mineral water (61.6%) and bottled water (48%) most frequently. สุขภาพของนักท่องเที่ยวเป็นเรื่องที่สำคัญ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นนักท่องเที่ยวไทยหรือนักท่องเที่ยวต่างชาติก็ตาม การศึกษานี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาวิถีชีวิตและพฤติกรรมด้านสุขภาพของนักท่องเที่ยวต่างชาติที่เข้ามาท่องเที่ยวในกรุงเทพมหานคร โดยเป็นการศึกษาแบบพรรณนาภาคตัดขวางเกี่ยวกับปัจจัยต่างๆ การศึกษานี้เป็นการสำรวจระยะสั้นๆ โดยใช้แบบสอบถามในนักท่องเที่ยวชาวต่างชาติจำนวน 125 คนที่เข้าในภาษาอังกฤษเป็นอย่างดีจากสถานที่ท่องเที่ยว 4 แห่งในกรุงทเพมหานคร วิธีการเลือกนักท่องเที่ยวที่เข้ามาร่วมการศึกษาใช้วิธีการสุ่มอย่างเป็นระบบ โดยสุ่มเลือกนักท่องเที่ยวที่เป็นชาวต่างชาติ 1 คนในทุกๆ 10 คน จากการศึกษาพบว่าทักท่องเที่ยวส่วนใหญ่ (ร้อยละ 65.6) มีอายุระหว่าง 21-40 ปี นักท่องเที่ยวมาจากทั้งหมด 22 ประเทศโดยมีชาวอังกฤษมากที่สุด (ร้อยละ 21.6) ร้อยละ 61.6 ของนักท่องเที่ยวทั้งหมดนับถือศาสนาคริสต์ ส่วนใหญ่มีระดับความรู้ตั้งแต่ปริญญาตรีขึ้นไป (ร้อยละ 59.2) ประมาณครึ่งหนึ่งมีอาชีพรับจ้าง (ร้อยละ 50.4) มีรายได้เฉลี่ยเท่ากับ 1000-4000 ดอลลาร์สหรัฐต่อเดือน (ร้อยละ 74.4) นักท่องเที่ยวส่วนใหญ่มีการเตรียมความพร้อมก่อนการเดินทางมาท่องเที่ยวเป็นอย่างดี เห็นได้จากมีการเตรียมสิ่งของที่จำเป็นเช่น ครีมทากันแดด (ร้อยละ 74.4) ยาทากันยุง (ร้อยละ 53.6) และยาต่างๆ เช่น ยาแก้ท้องเสีย (ร้อยละ 50.4) นักท่องเที่ยวร้อยละ 81.6 มีการทำประกันชีวิตก่อนการเดินทางและมีถึงร้อยละ 71.6 เป็นประกันที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการเกิดอุบัติเหตุ นักท่องเที่ยวเลือกทำกิจกรรมต่างๆ อย่างหลากหลายแต่ที่พบมากที่สุดคือการเลือกซื้อของ (ร้อยละ 81.6) ร้อยละ 20 ของนักท่องเที่ยวมีพฤติกรรมสูบบุหรี่ โดยส่วนใหญ่ (ร้อยละ 48) สูบบุหรี่วันละไม่เกิน 5 มวน มีนักท่องเที่ยว 2 คนเปิดเผยว่ามีเพศสัมพันธ์กับคู่นอนที่ไม่ใช่คู่สมรสและไม่ได้สวมถุงยางอนามัยในขณะมาเพศสัมพันธ์ นักท่องเที่ยวต่างชาติร้อยละ 75.2 ชอบอาหารไทย และอาหารไทยที่นักท่องเที่ยวชอบมากที่สุดคือผัดไทย (ร้อยละ 55.2) รองลงมาคือต้มยำ (ร้อยละ 39.2) น้ำดื่มที่นักท่องเที่ยวส่วนใหญ่เลือกคือ น้ำแร่บรรจุขวด (ร้อยละ 61.6) น้ำบรรจุขวด (ร้อยละ 48) โดยทั่วไปพบว่านักท่องเที่ยวต่างชาติที่ศึกษามีอนามัยส่วนบุคคลในระดับที่ดี ข้อมูลที่ได้จากการศึกษานี้สามารถนำไปใช้เป็นประโยชน์สำหรับหน่วยงานหรือองค์กรที่ดูแลทั้งด้านการท่องเที่ยว ด้านสุขภาพและการพาณิชย์เพื่อวางแผนกลยุทธ์ที่จะเป็นประโยชน์แก่นักท่องเที่ยวในประเทศไทย

Since Asia may be considered the global leader in air pollution and has the fastest growth rates of motorization, Asia is now positioned at a decision-making crossroads for vehicle sustainability with global implications. This modeling study investigates emissions and oil consumption by the passenger land transport sector of Bangkok, an Asian city in which economic and population growth over the past few decades have resulted in rapid growth in vehicle usage along with significant sustainable management issues. The study analyzes nine mitigation scenarios for reducing oil consumption and vehicle emissions of the global greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, and two smog-related pollutants of particular concern in Bangkok, hydrocarbons and particulate matter (PMto). The scenarios represent several alternative vehicle & fuel technologies as well as varying economic conditions. The LEAP2000 simulation model and data obtained from Royal Thai Government agencies are used to calculate emissions which are then compared to emission goals for the period 1995-2025. Modeling results indicate that significant emission reduction goals can indeed be achieved given reasonable management approaches and investment in alternative technologies. The most dramatic changes were in the business-as-usual scenarios, which showed up to fourfold increase in oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from 1995 to 2025. In contrast, there was essentially no change in emissions and oil consumption between 1995 and 2025 for the environmental scenarios, which assume significant, but reasonable changes in fuels and vehicle types and usage. Hydrocarbon emissions in all scenarios decreased substantially, probably due to the fact that hydrocarbons respond very well to the current conversion from uncontrolled emission exhausts to catalytic converters. Both the modeling approach and study results may be applicable in a broader geographic context in that decision-makers in similar Asian urban settings might more fully understand the choices available to them by using a similar procedure to help guide them through long-term planning for inevitable changes in their transportation systems.

MODERNIZATION AND URBAN MONASTIC SPACE IN RATTANAKOSIN CITY: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THREE ROYAL WATS Worrasit Tantinipankul, Ph.D. Cornell University 2007 This dissertation is about the changing physical conditions and social meanings of royal Buddhist monastic complexes (wat) in the Rattanakosin Historic District from the beginning of the Bangkok period to the 1997 economic crisis. In the pre-modern period, the royal wat was the key site for the ruler to consolidate his power and establish his legitimacy as a righteous Buddhist monarch. In this traditional context, these Buddhist monastic complexes became the centers for accumulating and redistributing wealth surplus in various forms of public facilities. With the advent of the modern era, the royal monastic complexes acquired new meanings and functions associated with the process of nation-building, becoming at once symbols of national heritage, loci for modern education, and models of development. And yet, paradoxically, because of the Thai state?s adoption of the Western philosophy of the separation of church and state, the royal monastic complexes which previously functioned as public facilities became more private and centralized under the power of the ecclesiastical authority. Moreover, the monastic land ownership and their space have largely been neglected in Bangkok?s urban planning. Monastic communities are not only invisible in the plans for Bangkok?s urban development, but they are also responsible for generating their own revenue and for the management of their monastic properties. Comparing three case studies of royal monastic complexes, I show how changes associated with the making of the modern nation-state, including government policies in the affairs of Buddhist religion, transformations in the political economy, and the urbanization of Bangkok, have affected the form and meaning of Buddhist wats. A central aim of this comparative approach is to demonstrate that these changes have not had uniform effects. Rather, as my case studies show, each of these three royal monastic complexes has responded differently to modernization and nation-building depending on the location and size of the monastic donated land, the scale of its major structures, the degree of architectural elaboration, and its social network. In conclusion, the study of problems and historical changes in each royal wat serves to pinpoint what is overlooked in current planning and preservation practice.

This dissertation explores into people's dependence on neighborhood transit services of the informal sector in their key role that connect between people's residences inside the local street network and mainline transit services on the main road. The study argues that such dependence is influenced by the physical characteristics of the local street network, and thus can be reduced by altering the local street characteristics to facilitate walking as an alternative means of travel for transit access trips. Two local-street characteristics are considered, trip distance and pedestrian route directness (the ratio of trip distance on the existing network and straight-line distance). To investigate the relationships, a nested logit model is estimated using the 2003 Bangkok Travel Survey dataset. The model results indicate that trip distance negatively impacts pedestrian travel the most at a statistically significant level. Therefore, policies to reduce transit access trip distance are likely to increase the likelihood of walking, as opposed to using neighborhood transit services. In addition, pedestrian route directness is used to determine appropriate policy directions and target areas to improve transit accessibility. Two types of policies are suggested. The first involves retrofitting local streets to achieve more direct pedestrian routes in areas where excessive trip distances are created because of route indirectness. The second type of policies includes introducing or upgrading existing local streets into distributor roads and expanding of transit services into these areas. Policy simulations in target areas show significant reduction of informal transport uses. The study therefore concludes that dependence on neighborhood transit services for transit access trips can be reduced, by appropriately altering street designs in the local-street network to promote pedestrian accessibility to transit services.

This research identifies the professional development needs of fifty District Directors employed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Bangkok, Thailand, in order to produce an operational strategy for a learning organisation and an improvement in work quality. The population sample consists of the Permanent Secretary, two Deputy Permanent Secretaries, and all fifty District Directors of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The research involves a Proactive Evaluation, in which a needs assessment of a group of fifty District Directors is undertaken. A mixed methods approach, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, is applied. The quantitative research component applies a three-round Delphi survey of the fifty District Directors. The Delphi survey identified seven areas from the sixteen originally submitted; as well, a set of five professional development strategies is identified. The seven elements needed to improve their skills and competencies were: leading an organisation; administering responsibilities rapidly and transparently in order to provide effective service; being mature; establishing good human relationships; collaborating effectively with people and their organizations; providing moral leadership that is concerned with equity and equality; understanding people in order to satisfy their needs. The five professional development strategies required to promote these needs were: improving skills and competencies; successful training; overcoming problems with training; the duration of training programs; selecting suitable training venues. Finally, in order to draw these various elements together, a professional development training policy designed to benefit present and future District Directors of the BMA is developed.

This study examines the relationship between the street network configuration and the pattern of commercial and mixed-use land uses in a fast-growing region of Bangkok over a ten-year period (1990 to 2000). The goal is (1) to evaluate the efficacy of the topological configurational model referred to as space syntax, by determining whether adding geometrical variables---distances---to the model improves its predictive capability, and (2) to evaluate Bangkok's comprehensive transportation and land-use plan, by determining whether it has had a significant spatial influence on commercial and mixed-use developments in its designated urban sub-centers. The study's main findings are that (1) the topological measures of space syntax do not fully capture, or internalize, the relevant information contained in geometric measures (distances), and (2) whereas the locations of commercial and mixed-use developments in the study area are significantly associated with syntax measures of the street network configuration, they are only weakly associated with the locations of the Comprehensive Plan's designated sub-centers. This indicates that the Comprehensive Plan has not been successful at directing new commercial and mixed-use developments to planned urban sub-centers. More generally, the study's findings suggest that land-use and transportation plans will be more likely to succeed if planners take the relationship between the street network configuration and target land uses identified in this study into account when deciding where to locate potential new urban sub-centers, and when designing the transportation network intended to support those sub-centers.

The purpose of the study was to examine home conditions, housing satisfactions, and allergen avoidance practices of people with allergic rhinitis, focusing on female patients who lived in an urban area in a hot, humid climate. The Morris and Winter theory of housing adjustment provides a theoretical base for this study. Nine hypotheses were tested to investigate interrelationships among home conditions, housing satisfaction in terms of health issues, allergen avoidance practices, and age. A sample of 41 female allergy patients aged 20 to 77 years completed a screening questionnaire and an in-depth survey questionnaire. The researcher visited their dwellings to conduct home observations and to take photos.Dust mite allergens were reported as the most common allergy triggers. Presence of cockroaches, presence of furry pets outdoors, molds in bathrooms, and molds in kitchens were the most common problematic home conditions. Open shelves, bookcases, drapes, horizontal blinds, and foam rubber pillows were the most common allergy related items found in respondents' bedrooms. Concerning health issues, the majority of the respondents were satisfied with their homes. Allergen avoidance practices were not followed regularly, particularly, using allergen-proof pillowcases and sheets, washing bedding in hot water, wearing a particle mask when vacuuming, using an exhaust fan, an air cleaner, a dehumidifier, and cockroach traps. The respondents who received suggestions from doctors were more likely to follow allergen avoidance practices than those who did not receive suggestions.The result shows a significant negative relationship between problematic home conditions and housing satisfaction in terms of health issues. A significant negative relationship between age and allergen avoidance practices was found. Older sufferers were less likely to use allergen-proof products. They also lived in older homes that were more likely to have allergy related conditions. The most common obstacles that prevented respondents from improving their homes in order to avoid allergens were cost of products, emotional attachment to pets, not having time to improve homes, and procrastination. Based on these findings, design recommendations, home maintenance recommendations, and lifestyle practice recommendations were developed.

The objectives of this dissertation are to: 1) identify the aspects of shopping environments that are important to people; and 2) identify strategies to maintain the cultural relevance and viability of traditional marketplaces in the new global economy. This dissertation uses a Content Identifying Methodology (CIM) to determine preferences of general Thai shoppers for different shopping environments in Bangkok, Thailand. The procedures include preference rating, scene description, and respondents' background surveys. Data were analyzed using factor analysis, content analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), canonical correlation analysis, and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). In addition, interviews with designers and developers of shopping environments are used to establish implications for future development, design, and renovation of shopping environments. Three major factors, environmental, shopping, and background, were found to influence preferences for shopping environments. The environmental factors include the perceived environmental types; spacious and well-organized spatial configurations; physical content, such as fresh products, vegetation, and sitting areas; and environmental conditions, such as maintenance level, crowdedness, and cool temperatures. Shopping factors include recreational and value shopping. Respondent's background factors include shopping behaviors and socio-economic backgrounds, such as age and household economic status. Shoppers prefer certain shopping environments based on their shopping purpose: recreational versus value shopping. Recreational shopping appeals to young, single, and big group shoppers at modern malls, which provide the most opportunities for exploring, recreating, and socializing. Value shopping appeals to older, married, and large family shoppers at traditional markets that offer the high quality fresh products at low price. The dissertation's findings are consistent with previous studies and support theoretical explanations in the environmental perception and assessment field. Coherence, complexity, legibility, and mystery, and the concept of affordance influence preference; and are useful in making recommendations. The results indicate that, by identifying the preferences and perceptions of Thai shoppers, it is possible to preserve important aspects of the traditional Thai marketplace. This is achieved by incorporating aspects of traditional Thai markets into new shopping environments; and enhancing existing traditional markets to give them broader appeal and make them more viable in today's economy.

It is generally accepted that traffic congestion is one of the most difficult problems that many cities confront. Bangkok is one of the cities struggling with this problem. Traffic congestion has an impact on both economic and social aspects of our lives. This thesis intends to clarify the overall traffic congestion situation in Bangkok by using holistic systems thinking; it also attempts to identify and to examine possible causes leading to this present traffic situation. Recognising the complexity of transport systems, the holistic systems thinking, developed by Bachels and others, is an approach employed in the thesis. Mental models and feedback diagrams are used to demonstrate the interrelationship between components of systems. The models provide general understanding and ideas; however, the validity of mental models can be measured by quantitative research methods. Key findings are: car-oriented policies lead to increasing car numbers; bribery and corruption are the main force driving the overall systems; distorted social attitudes toward car ownership and public transport also contribute to car use; the traffic situation will deteriorate unless anti-corruption campaigns and a public transport-oriented policy are emphasised.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the urban poor in Bangkok manage their own development projects. The main objectives were to explore the real needs of the urban poor, the management constraints, opinions on the successfulness of the projects, the possibility for sustainable projects, and to obtain suggestions for improved methods. The research methods used included questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observations. There were three groups of respondents: the community dwellers, the project committee members, and the officers of supporting organisations. Questionnaires were administered to 135 community dwellers. Semi-structured interviews and personal observations were carried out with 14 committee members and 2 organisation officers. The results of the questionnaires showed that the respondents did not in general participate in project preparation, design and implementation. Their main barrier to participation was their poverty in that they had to spend all their time earning their livelihood. However, most were satisfied with the intention of the committees working for their community. They stated that the Social Investment Fund would be able to alleviate their poverty if the committees extended the project and increased the amount of the loans. The results of the semi-structured interviews and observations showed that the committee members are the social capital of the community. They gathered together as a result of the organisation officers' co-ordination. They experienced different working experiences in their individual community. It was found they could not use full participatory approaches as they also had insufficient time. However, they did participate in all stages of the project cycle: preparation, design and implementation, which will empower the locals to work for their community in the long run. Committee members and organisation officers agreed that the SIF project is effective in bringing about social cohesion and mutual support within and among communities. The project should be sustainable because it uses a revolving fund and includes the poorest people as beneficiaries. A successful outcome will not be seen in the short term as a sustainable community livelihood depends on several factors. The capability of community dwellers to access credit is one important factor. The final evaluation will need to be carried out after the project has been in operation for a longer period.

Building combining residential and commercial activities makes up a significant portion of the housing stock in Bangkok. There are two types of these mixed use buildings: the commercial shophouse has a ground floor shop in a row building with living quarters above; the residential shophouse is a former residence partially converted to accommodate a small shop or workshop. While economic, social, and cultural advantages of these shophouses are evident, many experts have found that without effective regulatory controls there are several problems related to residents' living and work environments. This study identifies the major characteristics of shophouse residents and buildings using direct observations, user satisfaction and their perceptions of problems associated with shophouses are also identified using an attitudinal questionnaire. Two hundred twenty-five users were sampled from fifteen areas located in commercial, residential, and mixed land use districts in Bangkok, Thailand. Among the findings, appropriateness for business activities was mentioned more often than problems created by business operations. Poor neighborhood conditions were the biggest problems associated with the shophouse as a place to live. The convenience of having a combined work place and residence was the most important reason for the residents' decision to live in both types of shophouses. The majority of residents rated their shophouses most favorably as a work place. Locational factors was the important predictor in the residents' satisfaction with a shophouse as a work place. Neighborhood conditions were the most important predictor in the residents' satisfaction with a shophouse as a living place. The residents gave mixed responses when asked about future housing plans. Many wanted to move out if they were not running a business. The main reasons for such decisions was the residents' dissatisfaction with his living situation. While the mixed use shophouses should be maintained, their present situation needs to be improved. Such improvements should include both improvements of their physical conditions and land use improvements where shophouses and other forms of mixed-use developments will be located.

This dissertation is an extended look at the idea of power behind classical music and dance in Bangkok, the capital and sacred center of Thailand. The connections between kings, teachers, knowledge, and performance are described as a network of power exchange and renewal that continues to impel the classical court arts. The Thai ritual honoring teachers of music and dance, called the wai khru ritual, transfers the spiritual power of the first, primordial teacher to present day performers. The relationship between Thai ritual and performance is intimate and fundamental, and the reflexivity of ritual performance about performance is the focus of this study: ritual is discussed as an event revealed through the process of performance. The Thai belief that knowledge is power is reflected in the limited number of male master musicians who have access to esoteric knowledge about the sacred repertoire. Thai musicians and dancers who perform the repertoire for this ritual must be initiated by a master teacher before they can actualize the sacred with their bodies and produce the sound and movement that manifest the divine in the human realm. Many of the master teachers who perform the initiation ceremony are employed by the national conservatory, a government institution that replaced the old court system of musicians and dancers in 1934. The power of these master teachers is discussed as ritual and social hegemony: not just ritual experts, these men are also leaders of contemporary state institutions for music and dance. The particularities of the ceremony--i.e., the way it is enacted, and the people who perform it--are described and analyzed in detail. How Thai musicians and dancers construct the ritual through words, writing, and of course performance is especially emphasized: conversation, writings about the ritual, and enactments of the ritual itself are all treated as active constructions of performers' beliefs. Finally, the performing arts of the Thai courts are discussed in terms of secrecy, sound, and the sacred, and it is shown how esoteric knowledge has helped Thai classical music endure in the face of changing patronage.

This dissertation investigates, within the framework of mode of production, how the urban poor struggle to obtain and maintain access to land and housing in a Third World city. It examines how the urban poor interact with the state over urban space, and how they apply survival strategies to endure in various urban settings. It seeks to identify the importance of different forms of land allocation--the market form, the state form, and the popular form--which distinctively determine the urban poor's life chances, an issue frequently ignored by policy makers. This research also explores the related issue of property regime, that define rules of access in each form of land allocation. An array of actors, such as the state representatives, political personalities, and local leaders were key informants in the research. Five study areas were chosen which combine overlapping characteristics of two or more forms of land allocation. This research is based on eighteen months of field research and the basic data were obtained from structured questionnaire survey. Additional information was gathered from informal interviews with government officials, local personalities, community leaders, and members of the community. Descriptive statistics and case study illustrations are used to elucidate the linkages between variables and their underlying explanations. This study demonstrates that, at the macro level, the domination of the market form of land allocation is enhanced by state development strategies. A historical analysis of housing policy and the political development reveals a pattern of land transformation from the communal form to market form. The two major forms of political regimes--the dictatorial and democratic--responded differently toward the needs of urban low income housing. Most housing agencies established during military dictatorial regime failed to serve the lowest income groups because the state responded to housing issue according to political motivation rather than needs of the urban poor. On the other hand, the National Housing Authority founded during a democratic regime lacked a consistent policy and ran short of funding. At the community level, this research found that the life chances of the urban poor are partly determined by the circumstances surrounding the distinctive forms of land allocation. Intervention by the local state also tends to magnify the rate of penetration of the market form of land allocation and further differentiate the physical conditions of the communities. Each form of land allocation tends to support different types of household enterprise and certain type of tenancies. The level of individualism, financial need, and physical settings, which are correlated with the form of land allocation, also govern the social aspects of survival strategies of dwellers. However, the picture is rather complex due to the overlapping characteristics of the multiple forms of land allocation in each study area, and the complicated rules of access. Politically, this research found three major powers--the state, NGOs, and local personalities--interacting within the squatter settlement in response to the political demands of the squatters. These three powers usually compete with each other to assist the community in order to achieve their goals and to gain popularity. The poorest strata of squatters who cannot legally obtain services resort to illegal privileges or indirect funding from politicians. The success of grass roots organizations lies in factors such as the nature of leaders, the appearance of tenure security which is governed by the attitude of land owners, and the source of funding.

"New occasions -beach new duties" but do not always make clear the course one should follow in performing those duties. It is necessary to stand off and view the situation in which one finds himself in order to disentangle the various threads that at close range seem to run hopelessly together. This thesis is an effort to clarify the situation in which the author has been placed by the members of the Siam Mission, but for which he has had little preparation either in training or experience.Early in the year 1955, the author and his family were temporarily assigned to assist in the work of the McGilvary Theological Seminary at Chiengmai. The appointment was made permanent when in 1935. Dr. R. M. Gillies, the Principal was compelled to retire from the work because of ill-health. This was a period of change so the new occupants were faced with the task of leading the School through the period of transition into the wider opportunities awaiting it.The study in chapter two of this thesis is an attempt to trace the growth of the church from its earliest beginnings in Siam until the present. The aim of the Mission from the beginning was to establish an autonomous church that would be "self-supporting, self-governing and self-propogating, " but in spite of the prayers and hard work of the earlier missionaries, more than one hundred years elapsed before the dream was realized. Not that the church which was organized in Bangkok in 1934 could be called a "self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating" institution, but it was at least a step in that direction. Its organization placed, the Theological Seminary in a new position. Nominally under Mission control, it yet became the training center for leaders in the new Church of Christ in Siam, This required a thorough-going revision, not only of the plan by which the Seminary had been governed, but also of the curriculum. The former has been accomplished but the latter is still in the process of being done. The effort in this thesis has been to study the situation from three important angles, that might be called the political, the religious, and the educational, in order to determine the kind of a program the school should follow in the future.