Adding more green areas or public parks to Bangkok is one of the policies being promoted by several candidates in the Bangkok gubernatorial race.

 Former Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang, who is seeking second term after more than five years in the office as a non-elected governor, has vowed to continue with his unfinished policies, one of which is more green space in the capital.

 He recently claimed that, during his five-year tenure, the green areas in Bangkok increased to 7.4 square metres per member of the city’s population and about 1.5 million trees have been planted, in public parks and along the routes of electric train projects, with cooperation from the people and the public sector.

 He said that his aim is to reach the 10 square metres/person standard, set by the World Health Organisation, to realize the Green Bangkok 2030 project in the next five years.

  Since 2014, Aswin said about 220 million baht has been spent to implement five small public park projects in the city, but major stumbling block is finding the empty land to turn into a green area or a park. (Thai PBS World).

 This is a wonderful initiative. I would like candidates for the post of governor of the capital to pay attention to the absence or insufficient quantity and quality of sidewalks in the city.

By the way, a record number of candidates are participating in this race of governors.

 One of the candidates proposes, for example, the legalization of prostitution and gambling establishments. According to this candidate, the legalization of casinos and prostitution will have a positive impact on the prosperity of the city. Now the proceeds from illegal prostitution and gambling establishments "settle in the pockets" of criminal elements. Control over this activity by the city administration will reduce the level of crime, increase the level of security for both local residents and expats.

 The candidates' campaign brought them "bad publicity" when a pedestrian in a wheelchair was unable to cross the sidewalk because of campaign posters posted on the sidewalk in support of one of the candidates. The video of this incident received more than 200,000 views on Tik-Tok in a day.

Move to clean up Bangkok’s grubby canals.

 Even after living in Bangkok for a number of years, the smell never gets any less pungent, especially in the summer months.

 The issue is untreated wastewater running through Bangkok’s subterranean tunnels, wafting upwards through the open sewage grates.

 It’s no wonder that Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants to make Bangkok’s waterways smell better.

 The Ong Ang canal, home to the Ong Ang walking street, used to be known as Bangkok’s stinkiest canal.

 PM Prayut visited the area yesterday to listen to local people’s plights relating to the canal and connecting waterways. The government has agreed to take action on two problems: sewage and flooding.

 The Department of Drainage and Sewerage is going to open up the Ong Ang canal’s drainage system to increase water circulation into the Bang Lamphu canal. Hopefully, increased circulation will quell the putrid smell of sewage in the area.

 Stagnant water creates breeding grounds for those nasty black and white mosquitoes that spread Dengue fever, so increasing the water flow should also reduce mosquito propagation, which will be appreciated by locals and tourists alike.

 Yaowarat Soi 35 in Chinatown has faced problems with flooding due to clogged drains. An investigation revealed that build ups of grease are the problem.

 The department has unblocked the drains and has asked street vendors and restaurants to not throw food waste into the sewers to prevent the issue from recurring. Grease traps have also been installed in affected areas. ( https://bangkokjack.com)

 Indeed, there are a large number of narrow and navigable canals in the city, but the quality of these canals leaves much to be desired. Settlements of poor strata of society can often be seen along the banks of the canals. These people care little about the environment-survival is important for them. The banks and water of such canals are littered with long-rotting garbage. The good thing is that Mr. PM took care of this problem. Now the governor's race is taking place in the capital. Let's hope that the ecological situation in the capital will be one of the priorities of the new governor.

Members of the public can literally see the whole capital – at the 1:750 scale “Bangkok City Model” replica being exhibited at the Department of City Planning office’s third floor exhibition.

The model was built in 2008 for study purposes and to plan urban expansion. It features detailed replicas of real buildings and infrastructure in the 80-square-kilometre inner city area covering 20 districts. Visitors wanting to view the model can go to the Department of City Planning office in Din Daeng district during office hours from Monday to Friday.

 3D-Model-of-Bangkok.jpeg

Udomsuk Rd.

 According to some experts, Udomsuk Rd. there is every chance of becoming a new point of attraction for expats. And indeed it is quite a comfortable street for life.

 For almost 4 km there are many coffee shops and restaurants, several shopping centers, local an international schools.Convenient access to Sukhumvit Rd.( in a straight line) and Srinagarindra Rd. (There are many shopping malls on this street). It is also convenient to use BTS and other types of urban transport. There are also several good fitness centers in the area.

 Animal lovers and outdoor enthusiasts are also not deprived of attention.There are several parks just 6.5 km from BTS Udomsuk Station - Suan Wanatham Park, Suan Luang Rama IX, Nong Bon Lake Park(where is Nong Bon Water Sports Center located).

Property developers' confidence dips.

 The new lending curbs and bearish housing demand has affected listed developers' confidence in the first quarter of 2019.

 According to a recent survey by the Real Estate Information Center (REIC), the listed developers' current sentiment index dropped to 52.2, a new low in 20 quarters since the first quarter of 2014. It fell from 55.7 in the fourth quarter of last year.

 The decrease was attributed to escalating concern about the impact of the new loan-to-value (LTV) limits applied on April 1, said Vichai Viratkapan, acting director-general of REIC.

 "Developers are worried that homebuyers will be unable to get the level of credit they need for a mortgage," he said.

 "The LTV limits also cover co-borrowers, reducing the purchasing power of some buyers."

 Mr Vichai said the LTV limits will make housing transfers in the second quarter slow down. The actual impact on the housing market will be more well known by the third and fourth quarters this year.

"A drop in housing sales in the second half would suggest homebuyers are concerned," he said.

 "REIC will use figures in the fourth quarter this year as a benchmark, comparing them with a five-year average in the same quarter."

 Nonetheless, the non-listed developers' sentiment index rose to 47.7 from 42.3.

 A median value is 50. If the index is higher than 50, it means developers are confident about the property market, while lower than 50 means they are pessimistic.

 Mr Vichai said confidence over the next six months also dropped among listed developers, while there was a slight increase for non-listed developers.

 According to REIC, the expectations index of listed developers in the first quarter of 2019 declined to 59.9 from 65.4 in the fourth quarter last year. Key concerns were declining revenue, profit and sales.

 "These concerns will have an impact on their [listed developers] investment decisions and employment," he said.

 Though the expectations index of non-listed firms rose to 47.7, it remained at a low level and lower than the median value.

 Developers remained concerned about sales and revenue, which decreased recently.

 "Overall housing demand remains weak because of many factors. Developers should adjust their strategies by revising new launches and being more cautious about investment expansion," said Mr Vichai. (Bangkok Post).