Search Results (29)

Between 2016 and 2023, over 400,000 dogs in Greater Bangkok, Thailand, were sterilised and vaccinated against rabies through a Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (CNVR) programme. CNVR is practiced in many countries to humanely and effectively manage free-roaming dog populations, and to mitigate canine and human rabies risks. Residents were surveyed about their experiences, attitudes, and behaviours towards free-roaming dogs. Responses were evaluated in relation to respondents’ dog ownership status and the CNVR intensity within their local administrative area (0, 1, 2, or 3 CNVR rounds). The results show an overall positive effect of CNVR. A dose-dependent CNVR effect was observed with residents’ perceptions of declines in free-roaming dog populations and puppies born in their community, as well as in being “troubled” by free-roaming dogs now versus before the intervention. Residents living in areas with the highest levels of CNVR also had lower odds of reporting a dog bite. Some measures, including other current attitudes and behaviours towards free-roaming dogs, did not exhibit this dose-dependent effect. Dog owners showed higher levels of tolerance and care for street dogs than non-owners. The results suggest that owned dogs contributed substantially to the roaming dog population and must be considered in management efforts. CNVR appears to have delivered meaningful benefits to Greater Bangkok residents, and the majority reported sterilisation as their preferred management approach. Full article

Greater Bangkok, Thailand, has large numbers of both owned and free-roaming dogs, two populations that intersect and overlap in complex and nuanced ways. A more robust understanding of owned dog populations is, therefore, important not only in supporting the welfare of owned dogs but also in managing free-roaming dog populations and protecting human health through the prevention of rabies transmission. Over 3200 residents were surveyed to explore the numbers and demographics of owned dogs in Greater Bangkok, plus owners’ attitudes and reported behaviours related to their dogs; the acquisition and loss of owned dogs; and caretaking by owners (confinement practices, sterilisation, rabies vaccination, and other veterinary care). The study also considered dog owners’ practices in relation to a Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (CNVR) programme designed to humanely manage dog populations and vaccinate dogs against rabies. Survey results indicate that there are approximately 1.3 million owned dogs in Greater Bangkok. Key findings include high reported rabies vaccination among owned dogs (84% in the past year). Fifty-three percent of owned dogs in the sample were reported to be sterilised, 66% were allowed to roam, and 46% of dogs acquired into households were adopted from the street. The CNVR programme appeared to impact the care and keeping of owned dogs in the community, as it was associated with greater confinement and sterilisation levels. Full article

It is reasonable to state that gastronomic tourism is an efficient tool that has the potential to refresh Thailand’s macroeconomic viability. With the aim of becoming a hub of tourism in Southeast Asia, Thailand’s tourism industry must urgently address and sustainably integrate gastronomic activities to navigate the troubled situation caused by its decline after the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led the authors to conduct a deep study on a regional input–output (I-O) table analysis for Thailand’s tourism system, specifically focusing on gastronomic activities and tourism industries. The tourism I-O data used in this study come from the official source provided by the Thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sport. Empirically, the results of the dynamic regional I-O model predict that Bangkok and its surrounding areas are the heart of gastronomic tourism development, driving income into Thailand’s economy. The eastern region stands as the second-largest area of gastronomy tourism, generating a positive impact on Thailand’s economy. On the other hand, the Northeast of Thailand receives less income from gastronomy tourism despite being the largest area in the country. Ultimately, there should be a greater emphasis on gastronomy tourism policies in order to fully maximize their potential for tourism development, stimulating every part of Thailand during the economic depression caused by COVID-19. Moreover, gastronomy tourism has the potential to play an important role in driving economic growth through the combination of cuisine and tourism development. Full article

In Thailand, diesel buses are notorious for their poor energy efficiency and contribution to air pollution. To combat these issues, battery electric buses (BEBs) have emerged as a promising alternative. However, their high initial costs have posed challenges for fleet management, especially for agencies such as the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA). This study aims to revolutionize BEB fleet management by developing an energy model tailored to the BMTA’s needs. The methodology consists of two crucial steps: analyzing BMTA bus routes and designing fleet management and charging systems. Through this process, the study seeks to determine the maximum number of BEBs that can be operated on each route with the fewest chargers possible. The results reveal exciting possibilities. Within the city bus landscape, two out of five BMTA bus routes show potential for transitioning to BEBs, provided they meet a maximum energy requirement of 200 kWh every two rounds. This analysis identifies routes ripe for BEB adoption while considering the limitations of battery size. In the next step, the study unveils a game-changing strategy: a maximum of 13 BEBs can operate on two routes with just four chargers requiring 150 kW each. This means fewer chargers and more efficient operations. Plus, the charging profile peaks at 600 kW from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., showing when and where the fleet needs power the most. However, the real eye-opener? Significant energy savings of THB 10.44 million per year compared to diesel buses, with an initial investment cost savings of over 37%. These findings underscore the potential for BEB fleet management to revolutionize public transportation and save money in the long run. However, there is more work to be done. The study highlights the need for real-time passenger considerations, the development of post-service charging strategies, and a deeper dive into total lifetime costs. These areas of improvement promise even greater strides in the future of sustainable urban transportation. Full article

Accessibility serves as the fundamental link for mode shifts, enabling access to activity areas and facilitating connections to other forms of travel. However, navigating the transportation network in urban areas of Bangkok, Thailand, reveals persistent inconveniences, discomfort, and safety concerns, thereby failing to adequately meet the needs of users. This study aims to examine urban accessibility, focusing on multi-travel connections to amenities and public transport. It focuses on understanding how the level of engagement of road users in social activities contributes to well-being by addressing proximity access through a multidisciplinary approach aimed at enhancing accessibility and integrating the built environment. The comprehensive and inclusive Accessibility by Proximity Index (API) is proposed as a tool to evaluate the level of access to essential services and activities for residents. Additionally, this study acknowledges the impact of the physical and utilization characteristics of urban space and active trajectories by considering various travel needs and daily route patterns. Consequently, the API can inform the development of planning and urban design strategies aimed at enhancing walkability and cycling as non-motorization infrastructures, thereby improving accessibility through active modes of transportation. It was observed that areas with a higher concentration of urban amenities exhibit greater accessibility by walking, cycling, and public transport, particularly in inner-city areas. Thus, envisioning a more sustainable and inclusive city with adequate development of public transportation access is essential in urban areas, prompting policy-level initiatives to enhance the environment and elevate the overall commuting experience. Full article

Identifying the relationship between human mobility, air pollution, and communicable disease poses a challenge for impact evaluation and public health planning. Specifically, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and air pollution from fine particulates (PM2.5), by which human mobility is mediated in a public health emergency. To describe the interplay between human mobility and PM2.5 during the spread of COVID-19, we proposed a nonlinear model of the time-dependent transmission rate as a function of these factors. A compartmental epidemic model, together with daily confirmed case data in Bangkok, Thailand during 2020–2021, was used to estimate the intrinsic parameters that can determine the impact on the transmission dynamic of the two earlier outbreaks. The results suggested a positive association between mobility and transmission, but this was strongly dependent on the context and the temporal characteristics of the data. For the ascending phase of an epidemic, the estimated coefficient of mobility variable in the second wave was greater than in the first wave, but the value of the mobility component in the transmission rate was smaller. Due to the influence of the baseline value and PM2.5, the estimated basic reproduction number of the second wave was higher than that of the first wave, even though mobility had a greater influence. For the descending phase, the value of the mobility component in the second wave was greater, due to the negative value of the estimated mobility coefficient. Despite this scaling effect, the results suggest a negative association between PM2.5 and the transmission rates. Although this conclusion agrees with some previous studies, the true effect of PM2.5 remains inconclusive and requires further investigation. Full article

The study aimed to investigate the influence of social media, cultural, and demographic factors on individuals’ perceptions of risk and their responses to risk communication. This study targeted the population living in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, for the collection of data because Bangkok recorded the highest cumulative COVID-19 cases in the country during the pandemic. The questionnaire method included 625 respondents and was administered from August 2022 to October 2022. The questionnaire’s validation process involved conducting quantitative analysis, specifically utilizing confirmatory factor analysis within the IBM SPSS statistics 25 software. The analysis showed that demographic factors such as gender, occupation, education, and income significantly influenced risk interpretation. In terms of gender, males demonstrated a higher inclination towards evaluating data and information compared to females. Employed individuals also displayed a greater tendency for data evaluation than those who were not employed. Furthermore, individuals with lower education levels and income were more inclined towards studying risk-related information. Age and marital status did not exhibit a significant impact on risk interpretation. It was observed that interaction with social media can influence risk interpretation, potentially reducing individuals’ ability to interpret descriptive data. Furthermore, political beliefs were found to negatively impact risk interpretation due to the potential biases and preconceived notions that can shape how individuals perceive and evaluate information. Social, political, and cultural factors collectively played a role in shaping individuals’ perceptions and behaviors related to risk and health. Therefore, reevaluating these factors through quantitative research can offer valuable insights for formulating more effective recommendations to enhance risk communication policies and prepare strategies for future public health emergencies. Full article

A high-intensity catch, neuter, vaccinate and return (CNVR) intervention was used over 5 years to manage the free-roaming dog population of Greater Bangkok, using nearly 300,000 CNVR operations across six provinces. An evaluation was conducted using multiple methods to assess the impact of this intervention, including clinical data, an observational street survey, an online attitude survey and reported cases of dog rabies confirmed with laboratory testing. The evaluation found evidence of a reduction in free-roaming dog density over time (24.7% reduction over 5 years), a reduction in dog rabies cases (average reduction of 5.7% rabies cases per month) and an improvement in dog–human relationships (a 39% increase per year in free-roaming dogs with visible signs of ownership or care and a perception of less trouble with free-roaming dogs in districts benefiting from CNVR). The CNVR intervention appears to have been effective at reducing the current free-roaming dog population and minimizing one future source of free-roaming dogs by limiting breeding of dogs accessible on the streets. However, there is evidence that other sources of free-roaming dogs exist, presumed to be predominately abandoned or lost owned dogs that were previously inaccessible to the CNVR intervention because they were ordinarily confined or living outside the project area. Hence, fully effective dog population management will require further interventions targeting owned dogs in addition to this CNVR effort. Full article

This research presents an experimental study of the strength and microstructural characteristics of cement-bottom ash-admixed Bangkok clay, paying special attention to the efficiency of adding up the bottom ash (BA) of different finesses as a cementitious material and the role played by BA in enhancing the strength of the mixture. The obtained results were discussed with cemented clay mixed with other industrial ashes (i.e., fly ash and risk husk ash). The pozzolanic reaction and packing effect of BA on strength development were also discussed with tests of mixtures with insoluble material. The experimental study was performed through unconfined compression (UC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests. The obtained results demonstrate that the BA could be advantageously supplemented as cementitious material into the cement-admixed clay mixture to improve the strength characteristic. The finer particle size of BA could be beneficial for achieving a high strength due to the pozzolanic reaction and packing effects. By adding up a BA content of larger than 15% when the base cement content is not less than 20%, the strength of the mixture increased efficiently with the increasing BA content. Compared with fly ash of a similar grain size, the higher efficiency of BA is obtained when a BA content of greater than 15% is considered. Finally, the microstructure and changes in elemental composition/distribution were analyzed by TGA and SEM tests to explain the mechanism to improve the strength of cement–BA-admixed clay. Full article

This study deals with haze characteristics under the influence of the cold surge and sea breeze for Greater Bangkok (GBK) in 2017–2022, including haze intensity and duration, meteorological classification for haze, and the potential effects of secondary aerosols and biomass burning. A total of 38 haze episodes and 159 haze days were identified. The episode duration varies from a single day to up to 14 days, suggesting different pathways of its formation and evolution. Short-duration episodes of 1–2 days are the most frequent with 18 episodes, and the frequency of haze episodes decreases as the haze duration increases. The increase in complexity in the formation of relatively longer episodes is suggested by a relatively higher coefficient of variation for PM_2.5. Four meteorology-based types of haze episodes were classified. Type I is caused by the arrival of the cold surge in GBK, which leads to the development of stagnant conditions favorable for haze formation. Type II is induced by sea breeze, which leads to the accumulation of air pollutants due to its local recirculation and development of the thermal internal boundary layer. Type III consists of the haze episodes caused by the synergetic effect of the cold surge and sea breeze while Type IV consists of short haze episodes that are not affected by either the cold surge or sea breeze. Type II is the most frequent (15 episodes), while Type III is the most persistent and most polluted haze type. The spread of haze or region of relatively higher aerosol optical depth outside GBK in Type III is potentially due to advection and dispersion, while that in Type IV is due to short 1-day episodes potentially affected by biomass burning. Due to cold surge, the coolest and driest weather condition is found under Type I, while Type II has the most humid condition and highest recirculation factor due to the highest average sea breeze duration and penetration. The precursor ratio method suggests the potential effect of secondary aerosols on 34% of the total haze episodes. Additionally, biomass burning is found to potentially affect half of the total episodes as suggested by the examination of back trajectories and fire hotspots. Based on these results, some policy implications and future work are also suggested. Full article

This research proposes a collection of urban heat island (UHI) risk indicators under four UHI risk components: hazard, exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. There are 46 UHI risk indicators linked to three pillars of sustainability: social equity, economic viability, and environmental protection. In this study, the UHI risk indicators were first validated by experts to determine their relevancy and subsequently applied to randomly sampled dwellers of Thailand’s capital Bangkok. The UHI indicators were further validated with confirmatory factor analysis to determine the factor loadings (0–1) and reliability. Under the hazard component, the percentage of days when the daily minimum temperature is less than the 10th percentile exhibited the highest indicator-level factor loading (0.915). Vehicular traffic was the UHI exposure indicator with the highest factor loading (0.923), and the proportion of green space to build environment was the UHI sensitivity indicator with the highest factor loading (0.910). For the UHI adaptive capacity component, the highest factor loading (0.910) belonged to government policy and action. To effectively mitigate UHI impacts, greater emphasis should be placed on the indicators with highest factor loadings. Essentially, this research is the first to use statistical structural equation modeling to validate UHI indicators. Full article

Seasonal variations in atmospheric ultrafine particulate matter (PM_0.1) were monitored in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2016 to 2017. PM_0.1-bound organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were collected by a cascade air sampler that can collect PM_0.1 and were analyzed by a Thermal-Optical carbon analyzer following the IMPROVE-TOR protocol. The annual average PM_0.1 in Bangkok was 14.5 ± 4.7 µg/m³, which is higher than in large Asian cities such as Shanghai and Hanoi. Biomass burning from neighboring areas was shown to increase the particle concentration. Apparent increases in carbon species such as OC and EC, and the OC/EC ratios in the wet and dry seasons were observed; the Char-EC/Soot-EC ratio revealed that the PM_0.1 in the Bangkok atmosphere was influenced mainly by vehicle exhausts, even though the influence of biomass burning was greater during the dry season. The effective carbon ratio (ECR) shows that Bangkok’s carbonaceous aerosol is light-absorbing and -scattering. The higher SOC/OC in the dry season indicates the high level of secondary sources forming smaller particles from the combustion sources in Bangkok, increasing light scattering during these periods, and contributing to climate and air quality. The findings of this work are of great importance to air pollutant control policies in urban areas. Full article

Managing climate change is synonymous to managing cities and their growth. To shoulder the challenge of climate change adaptation, informal settlement upgrading in the global south has amounted to the importance of being attuned with the growth of its city and region at large. Changing the paradigm of on-site upgrading to being community-driven and city-led with domestic funding unlocks potentials for community resilience building, especially in countries that strive for inclusive growth. This research looks into informal settlement development dynamics and its resilience stance in conjunction of the metropolitan growth in three Southeast Asian countries. Greater Manila Area, Bangkok Metropolitan Region and Hanoi Capital Region serve as the backdrop for this investigation. The research mainly addresses informal settlement upgrading roles, mechanism and approaches for resilience building in these three metropolises, meanwhile also unveiling their city-regional development needs. The methodological approach of this study is highly participatory, demonstrating a hybrid of multi-spectrum stakeholder workshops, online surveys (due to COVID), expert interviews, project interim reports and correspondence with the local expert team in the three countries, etc. The paper attempts at providing a cross-country appraisal of the central strategies of informal settlement upgrading, related institutional constellations and upgrading applications along with the three metropolises’ urban development. This attempt accentuates the pressing needs of mitigating multi-facet vulnerability of informal communities, who are the most adversely affected by climate change and rampant urbanization. Further, this research will also reveal the mindset change of how decision-makers and the public contemplate upgrading objectives, e.g., recasting secure tenure instruments. Full article

Due to digital inequality, poor living, and health care conditions, marginalized people are the most vulnerable group to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined how digital information influences knowledge, practices, threat appraisals, and motivation behaviors of urban marginalized communities. It examined slum people’s digital competencies, their access to COVID-19 online information, and their trust in COVID-19 information provided by both online and offline media. A total of 453 slum people in Bangkok city, Thailand were surveyed, and multiple regression was performed to examine whether socio-demographic factors influence the access to online communication of slum people. We hypothesized that access to online information might affect marginalized people’s awareness of COVID-19 and resulted in greater levels of their practices and protective behaviors. The finding showed that slum people who had access to online information tended to have a better awareness of self-protection against COVID-19, while elderly, female, and foreign migrant workers faced a number of constraints in accessing COVID-19 online information. Such results are important considering the pandemic is compelling societies to turn toward digital technologies to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and address pandemic-related issues. We also discuss how to enhance the role of digital communication in helping urban marginalized communities during and after the pandemic. Full article

With the current popularity of mobile devices with Bluetooth technology, numerous studies have developed methods to analyze the data from such devices to estimate a variety of traffic information, such as travel time, link speed, and origin–destination estimations. However, few studies have comprehensively determined the impact of the penetration rate on the estimated travel time derived from Bluetooth detectors. The objectives of this paper were threefold: (1) to develop a data-processing method to estimate the travel time based on Bluetooth transactional data; (2) to determine the impact of vehicle speeds on Bluetooth detection performance; and (3) to analyze how the Bluetooth penetration rate affected deviations in the estimated travel time. A 28 km toll section in Bangkok, Thailand, was chosen for the study. A number of Bluetooth detectors and microwave radar devices were installed to collect traffic data in October 2020. Five data-processing steps were developed to estimate the travel time. Based on the results, the penetration rate during the day (50 to 90 percent) was higher than during the night (20 to 50 percent). In addition, we found that speed had adverse effects on the MAC address detection capability of the Bluetooth detectors; for speeds greater than 80 km/h, the number of MAC addresses detected decreased. The minimum Bluetooth penetration rate should be at least 1 percent (or 37 vehicles/h) during peak periods and at least 5 percent (or 49 vehicles/h) during the off-peak period. Full article