Chiang Mai is the second largest city of Thailand and it’s in the north. It has a population of approximately 1.76 million people which ranked number five in the country. It used to be the capital of the Lanna Kingdom. “Kham Muang” is a local dialect along with distinctive cultural identities. There are countless tourist attractions. Chiang Mai is known as a city of creativity and it was selected to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network – Crafts and Folk Art in 2017.

City plan has a square moat surrounding the old city. The ecosystem of Chiang Mai city is correct according to the auspicious principle. The frontmost area of the city is a trading area next to the Ping River. Also, behind the city is Doi Suthep, the mountain that is home to the city's sacred relics.

Landscape - Geography of the area can be divided into two types.

1. Mountain area, approximately 80% of the province, consists of the Inthanon mountain range. Inthanon is Thailand's highest mountain. Some areas are inhabited areas of various ethnic hill tribes.
2. Basin plains and hilly areas, fertile and suitable for agriculture.

Team Name: RTUS Chiang Mai
The City in Our Eyes

Since Chiang Mai has been an important strategic point for a long time as the most important northern city, trading center, the development of education, transport and lifestyle design to coexist with diverse local cultures, Chiang Mai people are proud of their culture and ownership of the area leading to the most urbanized city in the north.

Although some new cultures have emerged over time, Chiang Mai people still uphold and maintain the essence of Lanna culture. An important variable in parallel is a culture that is tied to religion and nature. This makes Chiang Mai a harmonious atmosphere mixed between the city and local community.

Thai people have given Chiang Mai the nickname of a ‘Slow Life city’ for a reason that the way of life of local people has not completely become a characteristic of urban society. It has a less competitive atmosphere and less urgency. There are four reasons:

1. Chiang Mai is a city that lives with traditions, culture and nature. Most activities are organized in groups which are related to culture, tradition, whether old or new. There is always a link between culture and nature making Chiang Mai with a simple way of life.
2. Thailand's governance system is a centralized development system. The local power was reduced. Chiang Mai's development is therefore slower than other cities. This affects the nature of operations or activities such as coffee shops or other businesses that are not fast paced. It also resulted in the gradual gathering of people in the community to develop their own areas.
3. The transportation system has not been developed significantly. Public transport with fixed lines are only in the city while residential areas are scattered around the outskirts of the city. There is only a private car that will allow you to reach the destination. Therefore, tourists think of Chiang Mai in a beautiful way and not in chaos. But actually because there is no urgent transport. There are no congested areas with people waiting for buses.
4. Education - As Chiang Mai is the center of many areas mentioned above, it became a city with a variety of educational innovations. Because there are many educational institutions and learning resources outside classrooms, people from all over the country come to study in Chiang Mai. But there is still a lack of distribution of learning resources into remote areas. Learning centers are concentrated only in the city.

• Go out to meet friends not just in the mall
• There should be places to read books, work beside coffee shops
• There should be public spaces where people can share activities in the city, to talk or exchange ideas after work.

• Travel around the city without having to rely on private cars
• Ride a bike or walk instead of using a car or motorcycle

• Safe to go out for a walk along the waterfront/ city at night.
• Safe to roam alone at night or socialize with friends and return home safely.
• Call out on social and environmental issues freely.
• Organize art space and exhibition
• Create space to organize activities that people can participate in designing

1. Survey the needs and problems (with the local people in communities)
2. Analyse and plan solutions (with the local people in communities)
3. Adopt the solution + summarize (with various sectors in Chiang Mai)
4. Produce data + offer policy draft and model scheme(with various sectors in Chiang Mai)
5. Present policy draft and model scheme (with various sectors in Chiang Mai)