From Closed Gardens to Developmental Parks: A Case Study on the Evolution of Public Parks in Bangkok

Abstract

This research article investigates the development of public parks in Bangkok from the era of absolute monarchy to the developmental state period. It employs the conceptual framework of Urban Political Ecology (UPE) to analyze the power dynamics embedded in the creation and management of urban green spaces. Public parks are therefore not merely neutral, apolitical natural areas or replicas of nature, but rather products of power relations among the state, capital, and various social groups within specific contexts. The article presents a comparative analysis between the evolution of public parks in Bangkok and case studies from the Western world to illustrate how the establishment of parks in different periods played a crucial role in constructing images of orderliness, modernity, and spatial control—images that reflect the underlying interactions of power.