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Public Park is considered as one of the important settings for physical activity, especially in urban area. Parks support physical activity through their accessibility; their provision to facilitate active pursuits; their capacity to provide opportunities to a wide range of users; and their semi-permanent nature. The study explores the characteristics of park use in Benjakitti Park, one of the most prominent district parks in Bangkok, Thailand. The study conducts a 7 days of SOPARC (System Observing Play and Recreation in Community) observation to understand the characteristics of park use and physical activities. The study also conducts a survey questionnaire of 206 park users to understand their perceptions and preferences. It is found that the park is an active park with an average of 2,663 visitors per day and 46.2% of users are engaged in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (43.1%) and sedentary behaviour (10.8%). The highest level of MVPA is found in adult users (72.4%), which mostly are office workers who visit the park after working hours for exercise. The study also finds that the high number of MVPA in the park creates negative externalities, such as the conflict between users and the exclusion of children and users who wants to enjoy less vigorous physical activity in the park. These externalities create inequality of park access and discourage groups of user who want to visit the park for different purposes other than physical activity and exercise. The study concludes that planning and designing active Public Park should provide equal opportunity for all urban residents to access and engage in any types of park activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the urban heat island (UHI) development and its impact on household energy consumption. Hourly air temperature data were used to study the characteristics and intensities of UHI in Bangkok area. A survey questionnaire of 400 randomly selected respondents is conducted to explain the relationship between UHI intensity and household energy consumption. Cooling Degree Days (CDD) index was used to establish the correlation between UHI and energy consumption. The result indicates that the presence of UHI in Bangkok plays a significant role in residential energy use, directly and indirectly. UHI is found to have association with the air conditioning equipment in Bangkok and increase the monthly electricity bill. Energy consumption is found to have positive association with CDD, which implies that UHI have significant influence on the household energy consumption. The study concludes that combining the concept of UHI mitigation and adaptation planning and energy-efficient housing design will contribute to better solutions for creating a more energy-efficient city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The study explores the relationship of housing tenure, sense of place, and environmental management in communities renting in private lands in Bangkok, Thailand. It is argued that housing tenure holds an important role in determining the success of environmental management practices at the community level, especially in the absence of land tenure security. A series of in-depth interviews with community leaders, community elders, and officers from district office are conducted to understand the practices of environmental management in two selected communities. A survey questionnaire is carried out to establish the relationship between housing tenure and environmental management practices. It is found that the housing tenure affects the environmental management practices in two ways. First, housing tenure directly correlates with environmental management practices. Secondly, housing tenure affects sense of place of residents and participation in community activities, which in turn affects the outcome of environmental management practices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]