Research & Article

The Master Plan Process of Phra That Phanom’s Surrounding Area Towards World Heritage, That Phanom District, Nakhon Phanom Province

By Kritsanu Palopakorn, Tarawut Boonlua, Yupaporn Chaiyasan

Published on 25 May 2024

World Heritage
Location of original sources

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Nakhon Phanom University, Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022)


The objectives of this research aims to explore the outstanding values of Phra That Phanom by reviewing the literatures focusing on history, archeology, tradition, culture, and architecture. The research also examines the outstanding elements of That Phanom’s cultural communities, as well as to explore the process of creating master plan using as a direction for the area development through stakeholders’ participations. The research methodology included site survey by collecting the background information of the research setting, with observing relevant physical situations for a direction includingincluding theOutstanding Universal Value (OUV), the cultural heritage on Tangible and Intangible. The research methods were including the participatory research action and workshops with different levels of organizations, such as governments, private sectors, communities, and all stakeholders in the area. The research results suggest that the intangible cultural heritage can be seen and touched, as movable and immovable, and the intangible cultural heritage located  at the area. Therefore, the master plan suggests that the Phra That Phanom’s cultural heritage community can be divided into core zone and buffer zone that can be applied to the development’s direction. . The master plan’s summary through all stakeholders’ participations can be developed into various projects including including (1) Core Zone (2) Buffer Zone 1 (3) Buffer Zone 2 and (4) the project to support the development. All stakeholders approved the master plan to officially register Phra That Phanom as the world cultural heritage that benefits to future’ preservation and development in.