Songkhla Creative City Initiative
"Towards an inclusive and sustainable city”
Songkhla is the third largest province by area in the southern region. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, the city formerly acted as a port and central hub for trade contacts. As a result, the City of Songkhla has since prospered and is home to diverse peoples of various nationalities that visited and eventually settled, including Thai Buddhists, Thais of Chinese descent, and Thais of Malay descent. Living together has created a cultural melting pot and unique identity continued from past to present, as evident in the Old City and original buildings of ancestral communities.
Songkhla is also a unique city in the national context, being situated between two bodies of water comprised of three types: Songkhla Lake, consisting of freshwater and brackish water, and the saltwater of the Gulf of Thailand. The landscape is referred to as “nod-na-lae”, featuring palm trees, rice fields and the sea, making available a variety of culinary ingredients – like a rice bowl – which forms part of the unique identity of Songkhla, along with a variety of outstanding cultural activities with potential for promoting the city.
The mixture of infrastructure, culture and diversity, which reflects the identity and image of the city, spurred the current initiative to promote Songkhla as a UNESCO Creative City, and will stimulate economic development in Songkhla Province along with urban development and promotion of sustainable tourism in the city itself, with focus on local food culture to elevate the local cuisine of Songkhla to a level of international interest.
Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization is a local government organization with roles and responsibilities stipulated by the Provincial Administrative Organization Act B.E. 2540 amended (No. 5) B.E. 2562, and Ministerial Regulations (B.E. 2541) issued in accordance with the Provincial Administrative Organization Act B.E. 2540, which determines the activities of other local government agencies with respect to those participated in or organized by the Provincial Administrative Organization (16), including promotion of tourism. Additionally, according to the Act on Decentralization Plans and Procedures for Local Administrative Organizations B.E. 2542, Section 17, subject to Section 16, Provincial Administrative Organizations possess the authority and responsibility to organize public service systems for the benefit of citizens in their own locality (14) including promotion of tourism (18) and promotion of sports, traditions and culture of the locality, to provide maximum benefit to the public and Songkhla Province.
The significance of researching and evaluating Songkhla as a potential member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is duly recognized, together with creation of an action plan for promoting and driving Songkhla towards designation as a Creative City, according to UNESCO principles, to encourage recognition of Songkhla both domestically and internationally. Accordingly, steps and guidelines for operations are followed according to employment scope guidelines in order to achieve effective project results, including hiring of consultants to research the motive factors behind urban development according to Creative City guidelines (UNESCO: Songkhla Creative City Initiative).
Project operational from 12th March 2024 – 10th November 2024
Goal
Review operational plans for promoting Songkhla Province as potential UNESCO Creative City in support of draft application documents for UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Operational Steps
1) Review operational plan for promoting Songkhla Province as a potential UNESCO Creative City – Gastronomy, “Multiculturalism in Songkhla Basin”; research and collect information on Songkhla Province; review the potential and suitability of Songkhla Province according to the UNESCO framework and indicators; create a database for spatial analysis to identify thematic potential of the Creative City according to international measures; utilize creative networking tools (main theme and sub-theme).
2) Prepare draft application for Creative Cities Network membership; establish processes for engaging stakeholders and peer-review of application documents.
3) Prepare a 4-year road map and action plan to promote Songkhla as a potential Creative City according to UNESCO principles.
4) Attend conferences and workshops with other members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
5) Create media for public relations and communication to promote Songkhla as a potential Creative City, according to UNESCO principles.
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