BANGKOK -- Branch by branch, trunk by trunk, Thailand's urban tree advocates are fighting to turn back a tide of concrete. Decades of unfettered development has left Bangkok with one of the lowest per capita ratios of public green space among big cities in Asia -- 7 sq. meters per resident, below the 9-sq.-meter minimum recommended by the World Health Organization. Singapore has 66 sq. meters.
Bangkok's green movement branches out
After years of neglect, plans for more parks and trees are taking root in Thai metropolis
Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park was central Bangkok's first new park in three decades when it was completed in 2017. The design captures rainfall for flood control and dry season irrigation. (Courtesy of Landprocess)
BRIAN MERTENS, Contributing writer
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