Bhutan’s Dream City of Thimphu

Abstract

Buttressed by the philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), Bhutan’s development policies are inherently grounded in balancing material and spiritual well-being, while Bhutan’s capital city, Thimphu, has over the past few decades experienced phenomenal growth and urban transformation. This article builds on the notion of socio-spatial dialectic to examine the new forms of social ordering in the urban space of Thimphu. Critiquing the idealisation of Thimphu as a dream city for all, it endorses instead the development of regional growth centres and small towns. This underlines the potential of stimulating regional economic development, as a better strategy for inclusive growth and actualisation of Bhutan’s philosophy of GNH.

User Satisfaction and the Social and Environmental Benefits of Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study of Thimphu City, Bhutan

“…After the introduction of the first five-year plan in 1961, Bhutan began to witness fast changes in its economic progress (Yangzom et al, 2017). Thimphu city, the capital of Bhutan, was the first settlement to undergo urbanization and expansion, and Thimphu now hosts more than a fifth of the country's total population, with numbers expected to double by 2030 (Khamrang, 2020).…”