{
  "id": 293751,
  "title": "Bangkok branches out: secret to Thai capital’s green revival",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/bangkok-branches-out-secret-to-thai-capitals-green-revival",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-08T04:00:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3363284/bangkok-branches-out-secret-thai-capitals-green-revival"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bangkok, Thailand's bustling capital, has made a surprising turn towards urban greenery, adding a new attraction to its temples, shopping centers, and street food scene. This green transformation is a relatively recent development, emerging during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite being a city known for its concrete jungle reputation and chronic traffic problems, Bangkok's efforts in creating green spaces are already showing positive results. Visitors returning to Bangkok post-pandemic are often impressed by the city's increased lushness and improved walkability.\n\nThree key lessons emerge from Bangkok's urban greening success story, which other cities, particularly Hong Kong, should consider.\n\nFirstly, setting clear, measurable goals is crucial. The Green Bangkok 2030 initiative, launched by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in December 2019, set three ambitious targets. These include increasing green spaces per person to 10 square meters, enhancing accessible green spaces to 50% of the city's total area, and increasing the urban tree canopy to 30% of Bangkok's area. In 2022, the BMA initiated the Million Tree Planting Project to further enhance urban greenery, reduce air pollution, and cool the city. With over 1.2 million trees planted so far, the project has significantly exceeded its initial goal of planting one million trees by 2025.\n\nSecondly, building public support and momentum is essential. The Benjakitti Forest Park, opened in early 2022, serves as a prime example of this. Located between two commercial areas, the park quickly became a popular destination, attracting tens of thousands of daily users. The park's success can be attributed to its low-cost, low-maintenance design that relies on native plants to regenerate organically. In addition to its environmental benefits, the park offers various recreational activities, serves as a wildlife habitat, and provides spaces for leisure and community events. The park's affordability, timely completion, and positive impact have made it an instant hit with the public, solidifying its reputation as the most vivid showcase of Green Bangkok 2030's transformative power.\n\nLastly, combining urban greening initiatives with efforts to improve walkability and public transit accessibility is vital. The BMA has been actively upgrading over 1,100km of pavements, particularly along canals in the historic Hua Lamphong district. While public transit in Bangkok has seen improvements, the sprawling city requires significant changes to make the system more viable for a dispersed population. Reducing sprawl and improving transit accessibility are necessary steps to ensure that the city's green spaces are truly accessible to residents.",
  "summary": "In recent years, Thailand’s capital has discovered a surprising new attraction to add to its temples, shopping malls and street food: urban greenery. Unlike the others, which took decades to develop, Bangkok’s green credentials are a more recent phenomenon, emerging only during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite their novelty, the city’s greening efforts are already bearing fruit. Visitors returning…",
  "key_points": [
    "Bangkok's urban greening effort emerged during Covid-19 pandemic",
    "Green Bangkok 2030 initiative set targets for green spaces and trees",
    "Benjakitti Forest Park became popular showcase of urban greening success"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Bangkok's green transformation shows that setting clear goals, building public support, and combining greenery with walkability and transit upgrades can help cities revamp their urban landscapes and make green spaces more accessible.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}