Get to Know the Creative Districts Ahead of BKKDW2024: Kaset-Bang Bua

Collaborating with neighbors to create a vibrant and livable neighborhood for everyone.

“Kaset University feels like a city within a city!” This is how people often describe the Kaset District. But besides the university campus, many might not know that the surrounding area has a life of its own. Whether it’s communities that have long been coexisting with the university or neighborhoods that have emerged to meet the needs of both students and faculty, the area is filled with diverse and interconnected activities.

As a new Creative District Co-Host joining Bangkok Design Week for a second year, Kaset District Drive looks at the challenges and opportunities in working with the neighborhood. Let’s explore these answers together.

A Harmonious Blend of City and University

Kaset District Drive explained that even though the Kasetsart-Bang Bua District originated with its main territory located at Kasetsart University, what they discovered after working in the area is the communities and various relationship patterns that naturally developed. These are significantly intertwined with the existence of the university.

“Besides the university zone, we also see that the surrounding areas have been communities for quite some time, even before Kasetsart came to prominence. Most of them are located along the canal. Some areas have various riverside communities, such as Bang Bua, Bueng Kum, and Rong Sup. They have coexisted with the university for a long time.

“Moreover, since the staff residences were established and we began studying these communities, we found that the people living in these areas also work to support the university, ranging from janitors to professors. There are also various businesses, such as restaurants and cafes, that have emerged to support this group. We see it as an interesting relationship in the area.”

Another aspect they view as an opportunity for the Kaset area is its strategic location on various transportation routes within the city.

“Beyond the community aspect, we’re intrigued by the fact that Kaset is a transit hub in many ways, such as the two subway lines. Kaset is situated at key transportation points leading to various other urban centers. We see it as a hub, a diverse space. This is our overall view of Kaset’s presence.”

Identity Awaiting Creation

As the Kaset District is a vast space encompassing both the university and the surrounding diverse communities, defining the identity of the area has been one of the challenges for the Kaset District Drive. They seek to determine what truly constitutes the identity of Kaset.

“To this day, we still cannot clearly answer what is the identity of Kaset. It is not as distinct as the historic areas of Phra Nakhon with its old buildings or the Talat Noi canal area with its flowers. When it comes to Kaset, if we’re talking about something visible, it’s still not readily apparent.

“This is one of the questions we are currently trying to explore. Even though we haven’t established a clear identity, we are determined to support the community and the local residents with these festival activities. If we continue these efforts, one day we may discover the kind of narrative everyone wants to share about Kaset.”

Making Neighbors Across the Entire Kaset Neighborhood

Kaset District Drive reflected on their experience organizing activities for Bangkok Design Week the previous year, when they were confronted by a crucial challenge they couldn’t ignore: the difficulty of linking various communities, markets, and the university to participate in the process as much as they should. This year, their primary goal is to attract people to the area to participate as much as possible, aiming to foster a stronger sense of a ‘neighborhood’ among the diverse groups living in the same vicinity.

“This year, we playfully named the event theme, ‘Kaset Phuen Baan,’ or ‘Kaset Neighborhood.’ This is how we see the relationship between the university and the community, along with those living nearby. Indeed, Kaset is an area with many dormitories where people come to work, study, or live. There may be communities that have or haven’t met each other before. We feel like we want to bring these communities together to feel more like real neighbors, more friendly.

“We believe that creating a sense of being neighbors will truly make the city more livable. Sometimes, small issues arise such as when students organize activities near the surrounding communities, and the local residents might not fully understand or participate. The community doesn’t feel like we are neighbors. So, we want to create this moment and gradually create this feeling, step by step.”

Kaset Fair Owned by Locals

For this year’s Bangkok Design Week, the main event in the Kaset District is the creation of a market, serving as a focal point for entrepreneurs and their various products. The organizers wanted to create a local fair by locals, specifically selecting vendors and participants from the local community and prioritizing those from the neighborhood rather than well-known stores or large brands from other areas.

“To be blunt, it might resemble our festival, the Kaset Fair, but one key difference is that we want to curate vendors and participants who are locals or have genuine local involvement. Our goal is to have vendors selling local foods that are deeply rooted in the community. If you don’t normally leave your area of the city, it would take some time to discover these shops because they might not promote themselves or put their shop on Grab, making them less accessible. These shops are people who are part of this area. Their prices might be pretty affordable as well, so we see this as a way to support the local economy. Additionally, there might be arts & crafts businesses participating in the event. We want to engage smaller businesses more than typical Kaset Fairs, which mostly feature large-scale entrepreneurs.

“We’ll invite them to sell in the market area, at a public park in the community, to allow them to meet each other. Small-scale entrepreneurs who might have just started or people living in dorms or condos who are starting small can join. We hope everyone comes together, exchanges contacts, and participates in other activities such as music performances, enjoying each other’s company. There might be activities like an old photo competition where both members of the community and those with past experiences in Kaset can share their old photos together. There could also be an open-air movie screening for the community to walk in and enjoy. We are looking into these activities to lead to the creation of a more friendly city.

“Furthermore, there are other university-related activities involving the conservation of an old staff residential building from 1957 that is slated for demolition. These activities are organized by professors at the university who are actively involved in conservation efforts. Because the building is located right next to the community, we want to make people inside and outside aware of its importance for future conservation efforts. In Bang Bua, there’s a third concept — the possibility of creating recreational spaces for holding lifestyle activities. Another significant event is the lighting installation by event partners Sripatum University and SC ASSET. This will involve a relatively large group of private-sector activities collaborating in development.

“We want to see more collaboration among people in the area and more connections between people attending the event. We hope that people from outside who come to the BKKDW event will connect not only with the neighborhood but also with people from other areas or other creators who might be interested in contributing to making Kaset a more creative neighborhood. It’s about declaring that Kaset is open to something, and we hope the participating community will gain something in return.”

In conclusion, the Kaset District Drive stated that being a hub for diverse activities in one area might become a new identity for the area in the future. What are your thoughts? Join us in creating new ways to define the Kaset District at Bangkok Design Week 2024.

Get to know Kaset-Bang Bua District better through its recommended programs:

Food Fair Local Market

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/en/bkkdw2024/program/70548

BAMBOO MACHE MODULAR

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/87919

LiVELY STREET FURNITURE 01 by Bangkok City Lab

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/87889

Once upon a time in Bangkhen

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/70495 

Click to see all programs in Kaset-Bang Bua District here:

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program?nbh=49824 

Bangkok Design Week 2024

Livable Scape

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27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024

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