New Park in Bangkok Provides Much Needed Green Space
2022-06-22
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1People in Thailand's capital Bangkok are enjoying a new park full of trees, water, plants and birds.
2Every day, crowds visit Benjakitti Forest Park to get a taste of nature in the heart of the city.
3The new park is part of an effort to create a greener, more livable Bangkok by 2030.
4Another park next to the site was built in the 1990s, with a large man-made lake.
5But the new 41-hectare extension has captured the capital's imagination.
6On weekends, up to 12,000 people a day use its nature trail, walkways and bike paths.
7The park used to be home to factories operated by the country's state-run tobacco industry.
8Changes on the new park began several years ago.
9Visitors are now enjoying the park ahead of its official opening, planned for August.
10"I love it," said 44-year-old music teacher Luckachai Krichnoi.
11"I love the outdoors and fresh air. Bangkok does not have that many big parks. I am glad we have this beautiful space."
12The design mixes the old with the new.
13Designers kept more than 1,700 of the site's original trees, then planted almost 7,000 new ones.
14As they age, the trees' leaves will grow and spread, deepening the park's cover.
15The area is already popular with nature-lovers such as bird-watcher and photographer Somsak Jaitrong, who said he visits almost every day.
16He says he has seen more than 40 kinds of birds so far, though others have counted many more.
17"The way they designed the park is quite special because they put all kinds of trees here," he said.
18"You know, the birds go where the food is..."
19Water plays a central part in the park.
20Small bodies of water, called ponds, and islands create a wildlife-friendly environment.
21The park's water system also helps clean wastewater from nearby communities.
22One of the park's designers noted that a major goal was to improve people's relationships with the natural world.
23The landscape architect, Chatchanin Sung, said the green area can be more than just a place for running and other kinds of exercise.
24It can also increase awareness about the environment and demonstrate the importance of linking living with nature.
25Bangkok is mostly surrounded by concrete and steel.
26Officials have estimated the city's population currently enjoys just 7 square meters of green space per person.
27The aim is to increase that to 10 square meters by 2030 through a park-building program and by planting more trees.
28But Bangkok's real problem, one expert argues, is not the average amount of available green space.
29A big concern is also how much green space is spread throughout the city.
30The new park demonstrates that point.
31"Benjakitti Park (is) located in the area where the green area per capita is much higher than other areas. ... the park is very nice, very beautiful, I love it, but how about other districts?" said Niramon Serisakul.
32She is the director of Chulalongkorn University's Urban Design and Development Center.
33Six kilometers from Benjakitti's beautiful surroundings, another green area stretches across Bangkok's Chao Phraya River.
34At sunset, the area offers large views and a cool breeze.
35The 280-meter-long Chao Phraya Sky Park was created two years ago from a bridge that was built but never used.
36Niramon says Bangkok needs to create more of these kinds of areas to expand the amount of green space in the city in a more equal way.
37I'm John Russell.
1People in Thailand's capital Bangkok are enjoying a new park full of trees, water, plants and birds. Every day, crowds visit Benjakitti Forest Park to get a taste of nature in the heart of the city. 2The new park is part of an effort to create a greener, more livable Bangkok by 2030. 3Another park next to the site was built in the 1990s, with a large man-made lake. But the new 41-hectare extension has captured the capital's imagination. On weekends, up to 12,000 people a day use its nature trail, walkways and bike paths. 4The park used to be home to factories operated by the country's state-run tobacco industry. Changes on the new park began several years ago. Visitors are now enjoying the park ahead of its official opening, planned for August. 5"I love it," said 44-year-old music teacher Luckachai Krichnoi. "I love the outdoors and fresh air. Bangkok does not have that many big parks. I am glad we have this beautiful space." 6The design mixes the old with the new. Designers kept more than 1,700 of the site's original trees, then planted almost 7,000 new ones. As they age, the trees' leaves will grow and spread, deepening the park's cover. 7The area is already popular with nature-lovers such as bird-watcher and photographer Somsak Jaitrong, who said he visits almost every day. He says he has seen more than 40 kinds of birds so far, though others have counted many more. 8"The way they designed the park is quite special because they put all kinds of trees here," he said. "You know, the birds go where the food is..." 9Water plays a central part in the park. Small bodies of water, called ponds, and islands create a wildlife-friendly environment. The park's water system also helps clean wastewater from nearby communities. 10One of the park's designers noted that a major goal was to improve people's relationships with the natural world. 11The landscape architect, Chatchanin Sung, said the green area can be more than just a place for running and other kinds of exercise. It can also increase awareness about the environment and demonstrate the importance of linking living with nature. 12Bangkok is mostly surrounded by concrete and steel. Officials have estimated the city's population currently enjoys just 7 square meters of green space per person. 13The aim is to increase that to 10 square meters by 2030 through a park-building program and by planting more trees. 14But Bangkok's real problem, one expert argues, is not the average amount of available green space. A big concern is also how much green space is spread throughout the city. The new park demonstrates that point. 15"Benjakitti Park (is) located in the area where the green area per capita is much higher than other areas. ... the park is very nice, very beautiful, I love it, but how about other districts?" said Niramon Serisakul. She is the director of Chulalongkorn University's Urban Design and Development Center. 16Six kilometers from Benjakitti's beautiful surroundings, another green area stretches across Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. At sunset, the area offers large views and a cool breeze. 17The 280-meter-long Chao Phraya Sky Park was created two years ago from a bridge that was built but never used. Niramon says Bangkok needs to create more of these kinds of areas to expand the amount of green space in the city in a more equal way. 18I'm John Russell. 19Jerry Harmer and Tassanee Vejpongsa reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20________________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22extension - n. something (such as an interest or activity) that develops from something else 23original - adj. existing from the beginning, or being the earliest form of something 24landscape - n. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance 25architect - n. a person who designs and guides a plan, project, etc. 26per capita - adv. by or for each person 27breeze - n. a soft wind