The 497 rai land parcel, owned by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), was once Southeast Asia's largest train production hub. Today, it includes railyards, open space, lakes and wetlands that detain floodwaters before they recede or are pumped to nearby canals.

This unique green pocket sits amid dense commercial, residential and transport infrastructure and is under increasing development pressure, including a proposed high-speed rail link between three gateway airports. Civic groups are calling for parts of Makkasan, particularly Zone C, to be preserved and enhanced as a public green area that links to Bangkok’s wider park and drainage network.

What the case study explored

Working with BMA, SRT, Kasetsart University, Urban Action, the Community Organizations Development Institute and the SRT Union, RUCaS developed a vision for Zone C as a multifunctional wetland and forest park. The concept includes two zones:

• an eastern wetland park with surface and subsurface wetlands, lakes and forest
• a western forest park with sports facilities and shaded green areas.

Across both zones, NbS are integrated into the landscape, combining water and nature play, improved access and shading, and multi-layered planting.

The case study explored how this vision could increase flood detention capacity, improve water quality within the canal system, provide accessible green–blue space for local residents and commuters, mitigate urban heat and enhance urban biodiversity. The focus was on how Makkasan could operate as part of a wider polder and canal system for Bangkok, rather than a standalone park.

What's happening now

The Makkasan study site is now being used to support city-wide learning and national guidance on NbS, rather than a single on-site pilot.

Thai biofiltration guidance

RUCaS is supporting the translation of stormwater biofiltration guidelines into Thai so that municipal agencies and practitioners can more easily plan, build and maintain rain gardens and biofiltration systems that reflect local conditions. The work includes a concise industry note putting the guidance in a Thai context to help municipal engineers and planners understand where and how biofiltration systems can be applied in dense, highly paved districts in Thai cities.

Seminars on polder water and multifunctional parks

In partnership with BMA, RUCaS has convened a seminar series on “Water Strategy for Polder Cities: Designing Multifunctional Parks to Manage Polder Water Environments and Mitigate Flooding”. These sessions bring together BMA departments to explore how canal revitalisation, wetland systems and floodable parks can support flood management, water quality improvement and urban cooling across Bangkok’s polder network.

National knowledge sharing on integrated urban water management and NbS

A national knowledge sharing workshop on Integrated Urban Water Management and the Role of NbS has further extended this agenda. The workshop engaged national agencies, universities and city authorities across Thailand in discussions about who benefits from NbS, how inclusive design can be embedded and how NbS can be incorporated across the water layers in urban areas. This includes water supply, stormwater, wastewater, water for environment and groundwater.

NbS demonstration

Complementing this, RUCaS and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) are developing a low-cost stormwater planter box pilot as a small-footprint, scalable demonstration that integrates water management, cooling, biodiversity and public amenity within constrained urban spaces.