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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Local knowledge in physical design and planning : a case study of Chiangmai, Thailand Vadhanasindhu, Pongsak
Abstract
This study concerns “local knowledge” - the knowledge of local people - and the role it can play in improving development projects. The study adds to previous definitions of local knowledge, describes how Thai designers and planners treat this knowledge, and illustrates the consequences of including or excluding its consideration in planning development projects. The research approach is a case study of design and planning in Chiangmai, a province in northern Thailand. Both primary data and secondary data were collected and analyzed. Primary sources were personal observations, individual interviews and focus group discussions. Secondary sources included others’ studies of architectural knowledge and planning reports. The existing literature, including literature in local knowledge, planning, citizen participation and social impact assessment, is still grappling with the issue of local knowledge and its inclusion or exclusion in development project planning. The study found that local people have a powerful base of information that is potentially valuable to the design and planning of development projects. Local knowledge can be technical, descriptive, explanatory, prescriptive, subtle, dynamic, scattered and holistic. An often ignored form of local knowledge is local people’s perceptions and values which have been made explicit through the impact that development projects have had on their social organization, their economy and their natural environment. Although the knowledge held by local people could provide real benefit to the design and planning professions, it has been overlooked by many professionals who have a limited awareness of the richness and value of local knowledge. The study found that awareness and use of local knowledge are affected by professional training and by planning procedures. This thesis concludes that for local knowledge to be appropriately and effectively involved in design and planning, procedures need to be restructured to require or encourage professionals to actively seek local knowledge, to respect this knowledge and its owners, and to include this knowledge in their professional work through consultation with local people. In order for this restructuring to be effective, design and planning education must include opportunities for students to learn how to gain and apply local knowledge in a respectful manner.
Item Metadata
Title |
Local knowledge in physical design and planning : a case study of Chiangmai, Thailand
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1995
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Description |
This study concerns “local knowledge” - the knowledge of local people - and the role it
can play in improving development projects. The study adds to previous definitions of
local knowledge, describes how Thai designers and planners treat this knowledge, and
illustrates the consequences of including or excluding its consideration in planning
development projects. The research approach is a case study of design and planning in Chiangmai, a province in northern Thailand. Both primary data and secondary data were collected and analyzed. Primary sources were personal observations, individual interviews and focus group discussions. Secondary sources included others’ studies of architectural knowledge and planning reports.
The existing literature, including literature in local knowledge, planning, citizen
participation and social impact assessment, is still grappling with the issue of local
knowledge and its inclusion or exclusion in development project planning. The study
found that local people have a powerful base of information that is potentially valuable to the design and planning of development projects. Local knowledge can be technical,
descriptive, explanatory, prescriptive, subtle, dynamic, scattered and holistic. An often ignored form of local knowledge is local people’s perceptions and values which have been made explicit through the impact that development projects have had on their social organization, their economy and their natural environment. Although the knowledge held by local people could provide real benefit to the design and planning professions, it has been overlooked by many professionals who have a limited awareness of the richness and value of local knowledge. The study found that awareness and use of local knowledge are affected by professional training and by planning procedures.
This thesis concludes that for local knowledge to be appropriately and effectively involved in design and planning, procedures need to be restructured to require or encourage professionals to actively seek local knowledge, to respect this knowledge and its owners, and to include this knowledge in their professional work through consultation with local people. In order for this restructuring to be effective, design and planning education must include opportunities for students to learn how to gain and apply local knowledge in a
respectful manner.
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Extent |
7516510 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-04-22
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0088364
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1995-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.