Factors contributing to the development performance of slum relocation projects (1984-1995) in Bangkok | |
| Author | Vichai Viratkapan |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.UE-04-01 |
| Subject(s) | Slums--Thailand--Bangkok Relocation (Housing)--Thailand--Bangkok |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. UE-04-01 |
| Abstract | Displacement or eviction of communities is a common occurrence associated with urban development. In land scarce cities, the conflicts between existing land utilization and planned development activities of both the public and private sectors results in the eviction of people from their settlements. Most often they happen to be residential and commercial areas occupied by the weaker strata of the urban society such as slum dwellers and squatters. As a result of development objectives they end up being evicted from their footholds in the city, and are relocated to suburban areas. The opponents of resettlement projects frequently argue that the relocation of people causes a tremendous impact on them. Studies on resettlement projects highlight that people suffer socially, economically and psychologically due to the changes in their familiar places of living and earning. The distance between the new unfamiliar location and the old familiar location is often highlighted as a major factor contributing to the hardships faced by the re-settlers. However, it cannot be concluded that relocation and resettlement always create negative impacts on the lives and livelihoods of re-settlers. In fact, some of relocation projects appear to be quite successful, while others appear to be clear failures in terms of physical and community development. These observations raise the questions: what contributes to the successes or failures of resettlement projects? And what are the influencing factors? This study attempts to find answers to these research questions. Therefore, the major objective of this study is to investigate the factors that contribute to the success or failure of resettlement projects by assessing their level of development performance. Initially, the research assessed the development performance of 25 relocation projects by using the Conjoint Analysis technique. This assessment was based on five attributes that were selected from stakeholder consultations. The attributes were, ( 1) original land ownership, (2) occupation of plots, (3) completion of house construction, ( 4) condition of infrastructure and (5) participation in meetings. The results of the analysis revealed that 13 projects have experienced a strong development performance, and the other 12 projects have experienced a weak development performance. Based on this finding three projects each from the strong performance group and weak performance group were selected for detailed studies. A total of 215 sampled respondents from these settlements were interviewed using a questionnaire. An analytical framework consisting of six major influencing factors was used to analyze data obtained through the questionnaires. These factors were further identified from the literature. They included: (1) convenience of the new location, (2) award of compensation, (3) participation of community members, (4) strength of leadership, (5) unity of community and (6) attitude of community member to the new location. The findings revealed that while the convenience of the new location was not a significant factor that influenced the development performance of relocation projects, the award of compensation, participation of the members, strength of leadership, unity of community and attitude of community members to the new location did strongly influence it. Among the factors that are internal to the communities, the unity of the community was found to be the strongest contributory factor. This was followed by the level of community participation and a positive attitude towards staying in the new settlement. The success of the strong performance group was found to be mainly due to the strong leadership of the community leaders (particularly at the transition stages of relocation), unity of the communities, and satisfaction/attachment with the new place. The other contributory factors identified were: existence of savings/credit groups, housewives groups, youth groups, cooperative societies, cultural activities and occupation training. The research also found that transferring the role of household head from the original resettlers to the new generation adversely affected the level of development performance. This can be attributed to the relative lack of pa1ticipation by the new generation in community development activities compared to their parents' level of participation. The study concludes that the location of the new site and the distance between the new and old sites are not very important considerations in the context of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Instead, the award of compensation to evictees should be given a higher priority for relocation projects. Moreover, the key to success of a relocation projects is the unity of community, both before and after the relocation. On the basis of these conclusions, the study makes recommendations on site selection, award of compensation, provision of infrastrncture, fostering community participation, strengthening leadership and the financial capacity of communities. |
| Year | 2004 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. UE-04-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Urban Environmental and Management (UE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Perera, Ranjith;Watanabe, Seisuke |
| Examination Committee(s) | Amin, A.T.M. Nurul; Sheng, Yap Kioe; Kusakabe, Kyoko;Onishi, Takashi |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | - |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004 |