Urban Learning Day: Promoting a Learning Society and Inclusive Urban Development in Bangkok

We are thrilled to share that the first-ever Urban Learning Day was held from 4-12 February 2023 as part of Bangkok Design Week 2023, with the theme "Urban'NICE'zation." On behalf of the Urban Studies Lab, we want to express our gratitude to everyone who participated in this experience with us, and we hope to see you again at our next event.

Urban Learning Day is an exhibition that focuses on transferring ideas and knowledge from the "Learning City Kasem Canal Project." This project is part of our research on the topic of Learning City, supported by the Program Management Unit on Area Based Development (PMU A). It reflects well on our goal for inclusive learning which want to make learning about city more accessible for different stakeholders.

The objective is to create a social structure centered around learning and exchanging knowledge with the local community. Through participation and brainstorming of participants from various sectors - government, private, public, and education - we aim to identify issues in urban development through the Living Lab Model, leading to the development of tools or guidelines for sustainable city development. The projects synthesized in this activity will be stored in the Urban Studies Lab's project bank, which can be further developed or implemented in the area.

Urban Studies Lab, in collaboration with various sectors, organized the Urban Learning Day event during Bangkok Design Week to present study results, tools, methodologies, and networks obtained from research work on the "City of Learning in Krung Kasem Area." This event emphasized efforts to promote a learning society and the role of cooperation between the public, government, business, and education sectors in pushing forward solutions for spatial problems that are an important part of sustainable urban development.

Urban Learning Day is an exhibition and showcase of works, along with other activities, that reflect the connection between the dimensions of people and the area of Krung Kasem canal and the surrounding area. Through the introduction of tools used to engage with the community and create an understanding of participatory budgeting, known as Participatory Budgeting (PB), this activity brought people together to understand the mechanism of participation through the use of Gamification and Human-Centered Design techniques as concepts adapted to collecting data on problems and needs of people in the area. The PB Board Game was used as a central tool to communicate cooperative work.

At the same time, this activity reflected the importance of design and creative work in driving the development of the Bangkok area. The Lab's work reflects the spirit of Bangkok Design Week, which emphasizes the role of design in creating solutions for urban challenges. We also highlighted the concept of public participation in urban development, which is crucial for building sustainable and inclusive cities.

We want to thank all the participants who joined us for the event, and we look forward to working together with various sectors to promote sustainable urban development and create a learning society where everyone can exchange ideas and knowledge. Our next event is already in the works, and we can't wait to share more details with you. Thank you for your support, and let's continue to work together towards a livable and inclusive future for our cities.