Category: Uncategorized
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Gentrification and Eviction in Samyan
On May 26th, we had the opportunity to join a group of undergraduate student activists passionate about social justice and progressive change on a richly informative tour of Samyan, a neighborhood undergoing significant transformations due to gentrification and eviction. These students took us to various sites poised for eviction and redevelopment, shedding light on several…
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Ezio Manzini and the City that Cares
The Italian design theorist Erzio Manzini was invited as a keynote speaker for the Asian University Alliance Conference hosted this year by the Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University. After years of teaching his works in my design-thinking theory class, it was a humbling experience to listen to his eloquent speech in person. His talk revolved…
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Design jury: interior architecture at Thammasat University
May 13, 2024. It was a great pleasure to be invited by my colleague Boonanan Natakun to jury the final design projects of third-year interior architecture students at Thammasat University. The site, Khlong Bang Luang, a canal-side neighborhood in Western Bangkok, is experiencing rapid touristification. I was impressed with the students’ diverse proposals, which ranged…
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Reimagining Pak Nam Po: An Urban Planning and Design Studio
This year, our fourth-year studio embarks on a journey to Nakhon Sawan city, fondly known as Pak Nam Po, renowned for its strategic location at the confluence of two major rivers. Situated 300 kilometers north of Bangkok, Pak Nam Po once thrived as a major rice trading hub, ranking among the world’s largest. However, today…
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SEANNET in Seattle
A group of SEANNET delegates recently made our way to the city of Seattle to participate in the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference 2024. Our panels, titled “Place-Making in City Neighborhoods of Southeast Asia (Part 1 & 2),” explored the different processes of neighborhood-making in Southeast Asia, drawing upon our diverse cases from…
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Grammars of the Urban Ground
16 March 2024 Exactly a year ago, I picked up a copy of “Grammars of the Urban Ground” (Amin and Lancione) at AAS 2023 in Boston, but I never moved past the introduction chapter. Now, as I’m traveling to AAS 2024 in Seattle, it seems fitting to revisit this book! Reading it on my flight…
Napong Tao Rugkhapan 