A newly revised draft of the Chiang Mai Unified City Plan has sparked widespread concern among local civil society groups and academics, who warn it could severely disrupt the province’s water management and sustainable development.
The controversy centres on plans to rezone green belts along the Ping River and Mae Kha Canal into commercial and high-density residential areas.
These waterfront zones serve as vital recreational spaces and creative economic hubs during local festivals but, more crucially, they act as the city’s primary drainage arteries.
Thanawin Wijitporn, representing the ‘Greening-Up Public Space Association’, warned that altering the land-use designation would directly compromise surface water drainage during heavy rainfall.
He added that allowing private developers to occupy these areas could lead to land reclamation for construction, which would inevitably exacerbate flooding in neighbouring communities and transfer public scenic rights to private capital.
Meanwhile, Ruangwit Wongwai, representing the ‘Ping River Water Users Group’, called on the government to enforce strict legal measures to protect the riverbanks and ensure local communities retain traditional access to the waterfront.
The plan also presents massive administrative hurdles. Assistant Professor Dr. Nuttakorn Vititanon, from Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, pointed out that the blueprint expands the city plan's scope to cover over 1,428 square kilometres across seven districts.
This means enforcement will fall on more than 60 local administrative organisations, challenging local officials who have to navigate complex regulations across vastly different socioeconomic landscapes.
To accommodate urban growth, the revision increases land-use classifications to 15 categories, introducing ultra-high-density residential zones alongside forest conservation sectors.
The transport blueprint also adds 18 new proposed road projects, while scrapping seven existing ones that no longer fit current geographical realities.
Civic groups say they will closely monitor the plan, warning that it could either guide Chiang Mai towards sustainable growth or widen urban inequality and restrict public space.
