Housing for Low-income Households in Thailand and its Potential for Self-reliant Lifestyle

Abstract

This paper is based on the research “The potential of Eua-Arthorn housing project to support a self-reliant lifestyle as guided by the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy: A housing development recommendation for a better living for all”. The research surveyed and studied the physical ability of Baan Eua-Arthorn housing project that developed by the National Housing Authority for low-income households. Baan Eua-Arthorn projects are mainly located within the urban area for easy access to the city. Based on the former research of single houses of housing development projects mainly developed by private sectors, this research continues to study the location in Phitsanulok’s urban area, but from a low-income household point of view. Comparing to the former research, the ability of self-reliant seems more important to lower-income households than others. However, the state’s housing development seems to have fewer interests in this aspect, resulting in a house with only one-third of the usual land plot of the private’s housing development projects. Therefore, each family will have to move beyond the boundary of the house to the communal spaces to gain enough area for food production. Hence, the idea of self-reliance will only be possible at a community level and cooperation of the community will be a key to the success.