Skip navigation
An urban park with a pond, palm trees, and dense greenery, surrounded by modern high-rise buildings in the background.
Project

Evaluating Bangkok’s Pocket Parks

Urban green spaces are vital for public health, yet they often receive less investment than built grey infrastructure. This project evaluates Bangkok’s pocket parks, exploring their role in improving social determinants of health. By collaborating with local communities and policymakers, the project provides evidence-based recommendations for equitable park design and sustainable urban planning.

Photo: Andrea Pistolesi / Getty Images.

Active project

2024

Project contact

Steve Cinderby / steve.cinderby@sei.org

Bangkok’s rapid urbanization has prioritized grey infrastructure over green spaces, limiting access to parks and their associated health benefits. To address this, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) launched the 15-minute pocket parks initiative, aiming to create small, accessible green spaces across the city. These parks are designed to improve urban wellbeing by offering areas for recreation, social interaction, and environmental relief in densely populated neighborhoods.

This project evaluates the effectiveness of these pocket parks in enhancing social determinants of health, particularly for marginalized communities. By integrating research with policy recommendations, the projects aims to provide insights into how cities in Thailand and beyond can implement small-scale urban green spaces to promote healthier and more equitable urban environments.

The project evaluates how Bangkok’s pocket parks enhance urban wellbeing, focusing on accessibility, health, and community engagement. Key activities include:

  • Understanding access: Analyzing local demographics, health data, and socioeconomic factors to identify who uses the parks and who doesn’t.
  • Measuring impact: Conducting surveys, interviews, and observations to assess psychological wellbeing, social interactions, and park usage.
  • Assessing environment: Monitoring air quality, noise levels, temperature, and humidity to evaluate ecological benefits.
  • Engaging communities: Hosting workshops and discussions with residents, urban planners, and policymakers to refine park designs and address barriers.
  • Shaping policy: Using research findings to inform Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s urban planning strategies and provide recommendations for future park initiatives.

The project is led by SEI York at the University of York in partnership with SEI Asia. SEI team members include:

Steve Cinderby

Professor

SEI York

Rachel Pateman

SEI Affiliated Researcher

Diane Archer

Senior Research Fellow

SEI Asia

Chloe Pottinger-Glass

Research Fellow

Raja Asvanon

Research Associate

SEI Asia

Jana Busch

Communications Specialist

Communications

SEI York

The project, lead by SEI York based at the University of York, closely collaborates with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which launched the 15-minute pocket parks initiative, and the Urban Design and Development Center (UDDC), which provides expertise in planning and community engagement to support its implementation.

Topics and subtopics
Health : Cities, Wellbeing / Gender : Participation
Related centres
SEI York, SEI Asia
Regions
Asia

Related projects

You might also be interested in