Reseeing Chinatown cartographic response and neighborhood reinvention

Bibliographic Data

ID11670216
AuthorsNapong Tao Rugkhapan (0000-0002-0278-4342, Thammasat University, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume41
Issue4
Pages573-606
Publication date2019-10-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0272-3638 • E-ISSN: 1938-2847
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02723638.2019.1681721
OpenAlexW2982421786
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited51

Bangkok’s Chinatown is undergoing rapid change instigated by the city’s expanding metro lines that see old buildings are demolished and old tenants evicted. This paper investigates two Chinatown neighborhoods in their struggles to negotiate such drastic transformation. At its core, the paper focuses on the role of mapmaking exploited by the two neighborhoods to mobilize their respective agendas. Charoen Chai residents are on the verge of eviction as their landlord seeks to redevelop the properties. Agitated by development pressures, Talat Noi is forced to revitalize itself. To resist eviction, Charoen Chai seeks to reinvent itself a heritage site. To break away from economic stagnation, Talat Noi aspires to become a tourist destination. The paper details the two mapmaking endeavors, highlighting in particular the actors, their cartographic tactics, and motivating rationales. It shows community mapmaking is neither bottom-up nor problem-free, critically assessessing the limits, contradictions, and dilemmas of local cartographic response

Archaeology · Cartography · Chai · Chinatown · Civil engineering · Downtown · Economy · Eviction · FLAGS register · Gentrification · Geography · Landlord · Negotiation · Political science · Tourism · Engineering · History · Law · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban Planning and Governance