The New Normal has been identified as part of development and conservation guidelines for 32 old cities in Thailand, with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, overseeing the academic and historical aspects as well as the potential for tourism promotion.
Academics expressed their views at a seminar on the creation of sustainable conservation and development of a New Normal network of old cities; they proposed ideas to connect old cities with younger people, and create a sense of conservation among local people, while promoting tourism within the New Normal lifestyle.
The Department of Fine Arts’ Literature Arts Official, Than Phu Ying Sirikitiya Jensen, said that city development requires communication with the people to create an understanding, while being a part of the community’s memory and culture, citing as an example the Glass Films and Letters exhibition that reflects personal feelings from photographs through light and shadows, while letters serve as official records and the dialogue between two persons. These items in an exhibition allow audiences to better understand the past and feel the history.
As part of the conservation and development effort in old cities, the Committee on the Conservation and Development of Rattanakosin and Old Cities has designated 32 areas of old cities, according to the Office of the Prime Minister’s regulations. Four more cities are to be included in the future, namely RoiEt, Chachoengsao, Trang, and UthaiThani. (NNT)