The proceedings commenced with welcome remarks by Dr. Céline-Agathe Caro, the Director of the KAS office in Thailand. Dr. Caro set the stage for the discussion by furnishing examples of prosperous smart and creative urban planning along with instances of multi-level stakeholder collaboration from Germany. Subsequently, Prof. Channawoot Chairaksa from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, within the Faculty of Social Sciences at Naresuan University, presented his work on smart cities in the framework of KAS-IDS cooperation and provided insights into the perspectives of the Thai population regarding smart cities.
The event unfolded further with a keynote address by Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana, Former Executive Director of the National Innovation Agency, who underscored the imperative for diverse government agencies to synergize efforts towards CIM city, ultimately fortifying Thailand's innovative capacities. His insights were followed by remarks from Mr. Sanon Wangsrangboon, the Deputy Governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Mr. Wangsrangboon underlined the significance of administrative modernization through digitalization and open-access solutions, underscoring their role in augmenting accessibility and nurturing the inclusive advancement of Bangkok.
In the subsequent session of discussions, Mrs. Supawan Teerarat, Senior Vice President of Thailand Convention & Exhibition Center, expounded upon her organization's role in enhancing Thailand's capacities in the MICE domain – namely, hosting business events to infuse substantial local value into the service sector.
The discourse culminated with reflections shared by Dr. Jaroenpong Suppatheerathada, Director of Policy and Strategic Planning at the Creative Economic Agency. Dr. Suppatheerathada delved into the notions of creative ecosystems and cities, outlining his organization's pivotal role in realizing Thailand's potential through pioneering the concept of innovation districts. Finally, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Panit Pujinda, from the Department of Urban Planning and Regional Planning within the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University, explored the integration of residents in propelling cities towards harnessing the innovation potential latent within localities.
This event was part of the collaboration between KAS and IDS initiated in 2020 to promote smart cities in Thailand.
Report: Tim Hildebrandt, KAS Intern.
