“Multi-purpose land use.”

Source: www.youtube.com

There are many videos online showing the Maeklong Railway Market, but I’ll share just a few. Clearly the 8 times a day runs like clockwork for the vendors, but as this other video shows, the 8 times a day that the trains go through the market an it becomes a tourist attraction. My students are usually quite shocked to see how this city market in Thailand operates and this video is a usefully ‘hook’ for lesson on population growth, urbanization, economic development, sustainability, megacities and city planning. 

 

Questions to Ponder: Why does this system work in Thailand, but is inconceivable for the United States?  How many spaces are single use spaces that remain empty most of the day?  How does the both the train line and the market need to accommodate the other? 

 

Tags: Thailand, Southeast Asia, urban, land use, megacities, development, density, sustainability, planning.

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