1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Bangkok
Region
Asia
Native title of the NBS intervention
สวนลุมพินี
Short description of the intervention
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lumpini Park in 2025, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration initiated the extensive renovation of the park. Lumpini Park was the first public park in Thailand. It was first opened in 1925 and had been renovated once 50 years ago. The new Lumpini Park aims to enhance the history of the park, to provide space for people holding different cultural backgrounds and to create space for modern recreational activities, designed for everyone within the framework of 'climate action park' - a green area that has the ability to restore itself, promotes urban farming while also contributes to climate change adaptation through water management, air quality improvement and more. The project will promote high engagement with local people about their vision and concern for the park which will be integrated into the new design plan. The project is divided into three phases. The first phase involves renovating main infrastructures such as roads and water management systems. The second phase involves the construction of green and learning areas such as the resilient park, forest park, urban farming, learning centre and other recreational spaces. The third phase involves the development of underused areas. (Ref. 1,2,4,5,6)
Address

192 Witthayu Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan
Bangkok
10330
Thailand

Area boundary
POINT (100.538759 13.734284)
POINT (100.545615 13.733982)
POINT (100.544199 13.726863)
POINT (100.536967 13.729761)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
The Cloud (2021), หนึ่งร้อยปีสวนลุมพืนี, Available at https://readthecloud.co/lumpini-park/ (Accessed 03-02-2023)
Total area
576000.00m²
NBS area
576000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2021
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2022
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
The initial vision was to provide happiness to the people and to create a beautiful park for the city of Bangkok. The new renovation project of Lumpini Park aims to deliver the same vision and enhance the multiple functions further.

There are five main goals that shape the overall design of the new park. (Ref. 2,4,5,6)
1. To keep and emphasize the history of the park. The area holds many history and memories of the people throughout these 100 years.
2. To enhance cultural integration and social interaction through nature, learning activities and art. The park aims to bring people together and at the same time closer to nature.
3. To promote modern recreational activities, through the improvement of existing activity areas and the introduction of new ones to accommodate both existing users and invite new people with new interests.
4. To design a space for everyone. The park’s design offers facilities and elements that accommodate and is safe for all people regardless of their age, functional diversities or other factors.
5. To promote climate action and build a regenerative city through the development and improvement of the green-blue infrastructure of the park - following the so called 'climate action park' framework. Accordingly, the park also aims to enhance urban ecology and biodiversity, foster self-regeneration of nature within the park and promote urban food security.

Along with the goals for re-designing the park, this project also aims to renovate and improve all main infrastructure systems of the park to better support the people and the new landscape design. (Ref. 1,2,5)
Quantitative targets
1. Provide space and facilities to accommodate 20,000-40,000 people per day. (Ref. 5)
2. Create space for cultural and entertainment activities (outdoor amphitheater) that can hold more than 25,000 people. (Ref. 5)
3. Increase biodiversity to more than 40 species (the current number of species is 40, the project aims to increase the number of species present). (Ref. 4)
Monitoring indicators defined
1. Number of people who come to the park per day and their characteristics (such as age range, sex, nationality, religion, disability)
2. Number of plant species within the park.
3. The number of activities and diversity of events that occur in the park.
4. The amount of water that can be detained.
5. Air quality within the park. (Ref. 2,4,5)
Implementation activities
- Emphasize Lumpini Park's history:
1. Keep the existing alignment of the main road, which is also the main axis of the park, and re-design the whole path then name this road the ‘100 years Lumpini Park’.
- Enhance cultural diversity by providing space for different cultures and encourage social interactions through nature, learning activities and art:
1. Building a learning centre for arts and cultural activities.
2. Creation of an outdoor amphitheatre for events and other entertainment activities.
3. Establishment of an outdoor cultural park
4. Creation of a Chinese garden
5. Creation of a canteen or food court
6. Establishment of learning area for urban farming
7. Building of the ‘100 years Lumpini Park building’ which will be a multipurpose indoor space for a variety of activities.
8. Renovation of the ‘green bridge’ that connects Lumpini Park with Benchakiti Park.
9. Establishment of a learning park that raises awareness about environmental issues and urban ecologies such as native plants and other organisms that can be found in the park. This includes the establishment of learning trails in the forest park.
10. Establishment of an area for dogs
11. Creation of a library and garden for reading book
12. Viewing point to overlook the park and surrounding city area
- Modern recreation:
1. Provide space for existing activities but with a new design to enhance their function. Examples of existing activities are running, cycling, tai chi, different types of dancing, outdoor fitness, playground and gathering space with tables and chairs.
2. Provide space for new activities such as paddle board, kayak, skate park, extreme sports and sports club.
3. Create pathways and space for recreation along the water edge.
4. Provide facilities that support the users and activities such as better restrooms and secure locker rooms or a storage area.
- Design for everyone:
1. Inclusive design (similar to universal design). The detailed design elements for this point is not yet defined but the designer indicates concern towards the elderly, disabled, LGBTQ and homeless groups regarding pathways (safe for the elderly and people with functional diversities), genderless toilet and bench that are safe for the homeless people.
- Climate Action and Regenerative City:
1. Resilient park - improve existing ponds and create natural space and canals within the park that can help detain rainwater, increase infiltration, filter and improve surface water quality by using plants before released to nearby canals outside the park's area. This area can help mitigate flood and the water that has been collected can be used to water vegetation within the park, especially during the dry season.
2. Forest park - Check the current health and conditions of all existing trees and plantings and plan strategies for improvement and how new to integrate new planting. Introduce new vegetation by selecting diverse planting types and species, all native to Thailand, which are easy to maintain. This forest area can help support urban ecology, and urban wildlife, enhance biodiversity, mitigate air pollution and reduce local temperature.
- In terms of infrastructures and operational systems within the park, there are several actions being planned including:
1. Water management system - build underground water storage that can hole up to 40,000 cubic meters.
2. Lighting and electricity system - move all electrical wires underground and repair all lighting in the park.
3. Renovating all bridges within the park to improve the connection of pathways.
4. Renovating fences around the park together with doors and security buildings.
5. Renovating and redesigning signage within the park.
6. Increase parking space (potentially underground parking). (Ref. 1,2,3,5,6)
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Blue infrastructure
Lakes/ponds
Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
Community gardens and allotments
Community gardens
Green areas for water management
Sustainable urban drainage systems
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
Riverbank/Lakeside greens
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
Unknown
What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?
Vegetation Type
Please specify how many trees were planted
The amount of trees are not mentioned however Ref. 2,4 emphasize that different types and species of plants will be introduced, including flowers beds which are native in the area.
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Water (surface and ground water for drinking and non-drinking purposes)
Regulating services
Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)
Air quality regulation
Flood regulation
Water purification / filtration
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Inspiration for culture, art and design
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Governance
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and its Environmental Department are the main actors in initiating this project. Landprocess, a landscape architectural company based in Bangkok, Thailand won the design competition organised by BMA and became the lead designer in this project. Other consultants and professionals in related fields have been invited to co-design the park. For example, historical and cultural landscape experts, arborists, landscape ecology experts, and environmental and water engineers.
All local people (all groups of people who use Lumpini Park) were invited to share their visions and expectations for Lumpini Park through exhibitions, talks and workshops as well as online forms. (Ref. 1,2,3)
Key actors - initiating organization
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Citizens or community group
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
No
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
Voluntary to renovate the park for its 100th anniversary in 2025. (Ref. 1)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify the general plan with GI/NBS section
The Green Bangkok 2030 project is an initiative of the Environment Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to enhance collaboration between public, private and civil sectors equipped with the capability and public mind to expand green spaces in Bangkok. The main objective of the Green Bangkok 2030 Project is to increase sustainable, quality green spaces.
The Project has set 3 targets:
1. Increasing the ratio of green spaces to 10 square meters per person.
2. Increasing public green spaces that people can access within 400 meters or 5 minutes by walking at no less than 50% of Bangkok’s total area.
3. Increasing urban tree canopy per urban area to 30% of Bangkok’s total area. (Ref. 9)

While Lumpini Park is not among the 11 pilot projects within the Green Bangkok 2030 project, it is the extension of that vision. (Ref. 2,8)
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Financing
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
The landscape improvement: 5 million EUR. The Forest Park establishment: 4,6 million EUR. Green bridge: 3,2 million EUR. (Ref 7). These are all expected costs. (1 EUR=37 Thai baht)
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The total budget of the Lumpini park is expected to be approximately 46 million EUR. However, due to budget adjustments, the new govenor's aim is to reduce the total project costs to 13.5 million EUR. As the project is still in progress, the total costs is unknown. (Ref. 3,7) (1 EUR=37 Thai baht)
Source(s) of funding
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Type of innovation
Novelty level of the innovation
Replicability/Transferability
Impacts, benefits
Description of environmental benefits
As the project is still in the design and implementation phase, only expected impacts can be listed:
- By checking the current canopy's health and the plantation of further trees, the tree cover is expected to contribute to the mitigation of increasing local temperature. (Ref. 3,4)
- It is located in the middle of the city, the last plot of land is large and has a lot of trees. Therefore, it plays a role in helping the city reduce dust, collecting rainwater, or even cleaning the water source in the garden from rot. (Ref. 2)
- The increase of green area is expected to contribute to air quality improvement through decreasing the fine particulate matter in the air (Ref. 2)
- The improvement of existing ponds and creation of natural space and canals within the park will help detain rain water, increase infiltration, filter and improve surface water quality by using plants before water is released to the nearby canals outside the park's area. This area will also help mitigate flood and the water that has been collected can be used to watering vegetation within the park, especially during dry season. The underground water storage tank (water bang) with a total capacity of 40,000 cubic meters will play an essential part in flood management (Ref. 1,4,5,6)
- Different types and species of plants will be introduced, including flowers beds which are native in the area to increase biodiversity (Ref. 2)
- The extensive flower beds and the planned vegetable gardens will provide food for bees, butterflies, pollinators that help propagate the life of trees, flowers, which we intentionally select as native plants. (Ref. 2)
Economic impacts
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Description of social and cultural benefits
As the project is still in the design and implementation phase, only expected impacts can be listed:
- The detailed design elements of the project are not yet defined but it aims to include the needs of the elderly, people with functional diversities, LGBTQ and homeless groups regarding pathways, genderless toilet and bench that safe for homeless people. (Ref. 2,3,5)
- By providing space for different cultures and activities social interactions are encouraged through nature, learning activities and art. (Ref. 7)
- The urban farming opportunities and allotment gardens that residents can rent and grow their vegetables on contribute to food security and would increase their access to healthy food. (Ref. 2)
- With the development of existing exercise spaces and new design, further ways of physical activities and recreation will be promoted. Example of existing activities are running, cycling, tai chi, different types of dancing, outdoor fitness, playground and gathering space with table and chair.
New activities will include paddle board, kayak, skate park, extreme sports and sport club. along with pathways and space for recreation along the water edge. Cultural activities will also involve people such as the creation of a library and garden for reading books, and the establishment of a cultural park. (Ref. 1, 2,3,5,6)
- With the creation of the Chinese garden, historic monument and cultural building, the 100 years history of the Lumpini Park will also fostered. (Ref. 1, 2,3,5,6)
- With the establishment of establishment of a learning park that raises awareness about environmental issues and urban ecology such as native plants and other organisms that can be found in the park, visitors environmental knowledge will increase. The establishment of learning trails in the forest park will also contribute to this impact. (Ref. 3,5,6)
Type of reported impacts
Indicators
- Increased biodiversity
- The amount of water retention and detention
- Increased species variety
- Reduction in temperature
- Number of visitors
- The amount of food production (Ref 2, 3, 5, 6)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Not applicable
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
No
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
No
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
No
References
List of references
1. Design Something (2022), ฉลองครบ 100 ปีของสวนลุมพินี ด้วยการรีโนเวทครั้งใหญ่ให้เป็นมากกว่าสวนสาธารณะ, Available at https://dsignsomething.com/2022/03/17/ฉลองครบ-100-ปีของสวนลุมพิน/ (Accessed 03-02-2023)
2. The Cloud (2021), หนึ่งร้อยปีสวนลุมพืนี, Available at https://readthecloud.co/lumpini-park/ (Accessed 03-02-2023)
3. Lumpini Park 100th team (2022), สวนลุมพินี 100 ปี, Available at https://www.facebook.com/lumpinipark100th/ (Accessed 05-02-2023)
4. The Active (2022), เปิดแผนปรับปรุง สวนลุมพินี 100 ปี, Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Du0ERNApMo (Accessed 05-02-2023)
5. Condotiddoi (2021), ข้ามเวลาไปปี 2025 เพื่อดูสวนลุมพินีโฉมใหม่ฉลองครบรอบ 100 ปี จะมีอะไรเกิดขึ้นที่สวนกลางกรุงแห่งนี้บ้างนะ, Available at https://condotiddoi.com/readarticle.php?articleid=6288 (Accessed 05-02-2023)
6. Realist (2022), ฉลองครบรอบ 100 ปี สวนลุมฯ" เตรียมปรับโฉมใหม่ เสร็จ 2568, Available at https://thelist.group/realist/blog/โครงการ-สวนลุม-100-ปี/ (Accessed 05-02-2023)
7. Dailynews (2022), เปลี่ยน ‘ปอด’เก่าสู่ศตวรรษใหม่ สวนลุม…ปรับงบ ‘เมกะ’เป็น ‘มินิ’, Available at https://www.dailynews.co.th/news/1307544/ (Accessed 07-02-2023)
8. Thansettakij (2022), พระราม 4 สู่ Global Landmark ราคาที่ดินพุ่ง 1.4 ล้านต่อตร.ว., Available at https://www.thansettakij.com/real-estate/525058 (Accessed 07-02-2023)
9. C40Cities (2020), The Green Bangkok 2030 project, Available at https://www.c40.org/case-studies/the-green-bangkok-2030-project/ (Accessed 12-03-2023)
Comments and notes
Comments
Some of the implementation activities are not yet define as most of them are still under design and planning process.
Additional insights
To collect opinions from local people, BMA and the designer team organised several exhibitions, talks and workshops. They also create online forms for people to fill in their opinions. (Ref. 2,3)
The first phase of the project began in August 2022. The second and third phases are still in the planning stage, and the design is not finalised yet. However, the second and third phases are expected to start later this year (2023) and finish by 2024. (Ref. 6)
The initial budget for this renovation project is 1,800M. Baht. But later in late 2022, the new Bangkok Governor aims to cut down the budget to 500M. Baht. (Ref. 7)
Environmental impact/benefit (Ref. 2,3,5)
- Mitigate flood and improve water quality
- Improve air pollution
- Provide habitat for urban wildlife and promote urban ecology
Social impact/benefit
- Increase social interaction
- Create diverse activities for different groups of people and make the park more active.
Economic impact/benefit
- Maximise the usage of all areas
- The property around Lumpini Park are all luxury developments (residents, mix-used) and the price of the land is among the highest in the country. (Ref.8)
Public Images
Image
Lumpini Park - cultural space
Lumpini Park - Cultural space (render image)
Source: Ref.2
Image
Lumpini Park Overall Plan
Lumpini Park Overall Plan
Source: Ref. 1
Image
Lumpini Park - main pond area
Lumpini Park - main pond area
Source: Ref. 2
Image
Lumpini Park - Forest park area (render image)
Lumpini Park - Forest park area (render image)
Source: Ref. 6