Regionalplanung in Thailand

Abstract During the last years remarkable efforts have been made in Thailand to strengthen and to institutionalize regional planning within the administrative and political structures of the country. To reduce regional disparities within the different economic regions of Thailand, these activities aim at combining regional economic planning and regional spatial (physical) planning. The paper summarizes recent national and regional development tendencies and analyses the national development policy as well as the national and regional strategies drawn thereof. This general discription is followed by a critical review of the different planning activities or programmes for the four development regions in Thailand. The tasks of a proposed Regional and Urban Planning Division within the National Economic and Social Development Board are then presented and scrutinized with regard to the existing administrative and political conditions.