These The purpose of this study was to develop planning for the communities along the agricultural – commercial fringe in the Special Economic Zones of western Thailand corresponding to the area’s physical environment, activities and commuting patterns. In order to fulfill the purpose, this study has analyzed the significant activities and commuting patterns of the communities along the particular fringe area in the Special Economic Zones of 5 western provinces as well as the opinions towards community planning given by 400 residents living in the certain areas. The findings indicated that the establishment of an economic development plan for the development of commuting routes of the Special Economic Zone in the western part of Thailand is very appropriate. The plan will ultimately enhance economic development by optimizing all commuting routes, activities, and resources that originally exists in the local environment and economically impact all community throughout every region of Thailand.
Urbanization in outer city areas leads to conversion of agricultural land and formation of new urban settlements among agricultural communities. This can create adverse impacts on agricultural ecosystem as well as the traditional unitary habitats. This paper reveals the outcomes of three decades of planning interventions in an outer district of Bangkok and the transformation of habitats. It shows that a unitary habitat can be transformed to a multi-habitat while creating symbiotic relationships between agricultural and non-agricultural functions through planning interventions. The paper recognizes the change in focus and of successive planning interventions as the main factor responsible for this symbiotic relationship. Although this is an unexpected outcome of the planning interventions, the paper argues that progressive change of focus of plans can be a planning strategy to form multi-habitats and thereby plural societies. Moreover, it argues that such a planning intervention can counteract against the current trend of building unitary habitats by real estate developers which lead to segregate the urban society according to a new set of social classes based on economic strength.
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