Communication for Participatory Environmental Development in Chiang Mai City: the Project of Spark U, the Actions for Urban Change in Chiang Mai, the North of Thailand.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the concept of environmental management and the methods of communication for participatory environmental management in Chiang Mai city, and to analyze the factors that encouraged the operation for communication and the problems of operation for communication in Chiang Mai City. Focus was made on civil society network in Chiang Mai under the project of Spark U, “The Actions for Urban Change in Chiang Mai, the North of Thailand”. Data were derived from qualitative research methods: document analysis, participatory observation, focus group, and interview. All data were analyzed by the methods of content analysis. The result indicated that the concept of project committee focused on livable city which were safety, friendly, natural, cultural and provided public creative space.  However, the primary target required communication for sparking and stimulation environmental consciousness of people leading to participation in urban environmental management. Then, several methods of communication were used: mass media, social media, group communication, public activities, participatory action, and others. The factors that encouraged operation for communication composed of planning, coordination, network relationship, and budgets.  In contrast, the problems of operation for communication were: broken coordination, lack of strategies and plan in long run, lack of monitoring and evaluation, and limitation of extending cooperation.