Heritage Matters: City heritage needs new conservation law

The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage is delighted to share with you today the second article from “Heritage Matters”, a series of column by The Siam Society published in the Bangkok Post on a monthly basis.

“Heritage Matters” not only focuses on identifying the challenges and opportunities of cultural heritage conservation, but is also aimed at raising public awareness on various dimensions of such issue, in relevance to the people of Thailand and those in the Southeast Asian region.

This month’s article by Dr Yongtanit Pimonsathean, “City heritage needs new conservation law”, focuses on the uniqueness and diversity of Bangkok’s everyday local heritage scene: the street vendors, the neighbourhoods, the local markets, the shophouses- which are currently endangered by lack of laws, regulations, and oversight.

Nevertheless, there are positive signs of hope! The article explores how governmental organisations and like-minded non-profit organisations are relentlessly playing their part in studying, educating, and recognising the significance of heritage preservation as a national agenda.

Dr Yongtanit Pimonsathean is currently the Advisor to The Siam Society Council and an Associate Professor at Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University. He has been involved in several research projects concerning citizen-based conservation in a number of urban areas in and around Thailand.

The article is available for reading by clicking here.

The Siam Society looks forward to bringing you a selection of articles by academics, heritage practitioners, government officials and ordinary citizens in the coming months.