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Transport and urban development in Southeast Asia. Dispatches from my travels in the region, and news about future city development, transport, and infrastructure.

Giving old buildings a second life

Bassac sea link canal, study on North Mindanao rail project, Penang airport expansion, Muse-Kyaukphyu railway update, and the new Pattaya train station previewed.

James Clark

Mar 1, 2023

Greetings from Bangkok. I was wandering around the riverfront area near Charoenkrung Road and I happened upon a warehouse that has been converted into an art space. This is what is known as adaptive reuse.

It turns out that there are some good examples of this in Bangkok, even if the city is not known for its sentimentality of old buildings. I’ve started a list of these reused old buildings, which is the topic of this week’s article.

“Joint venture with Singapore’s YCG to build US$300 million ‘super port’ in Phnom Penh.”

• Bassac sea link needs just one new canal: Chanthol

• Main Siem Reap airport work ‘done by March’

• Dara Sakor airport on track for mid-2023 opening: Koh Kong governor

• 11,177 hectares in Bokor National Park granted to tycoon Sok Kong

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Indonesia stuck with China's high-speed train project by

Asia Sentinel

• Once capital moves to Nusantara, Jakarta will remain a business hub: Jokowi

• Civil servants wary of ‘compulsory’ move to IKN

• Commuter Line passengers face service deterioration with plan to retire 10 trains

• Bali governor confirms plans are moving forward for Paramount theme park

🇱🇦 Laos

• Tourists crowd onto Laos-China high speed railway

• Lao firm signs MOU on Laos-Thailand-China cross border rail transport

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• RM5bil cut in Circle Line cost is attainable, says MRT Corp

• Give us the nod for Kedah airport project, Sanusi tells Anwar

• Kelantan ECRL project progress exceeds 40 per cent

• MOTS, Sarawak Metro aims to emulate Japan for Kuching Urban Transportation System

• Penang govt pledges support for airport expansion project

• Penang halfway through affordable homes target, says state exco

• Two articles about Penang South Islands:

Penang ‘islands project’ wins award for low-carbon city plan

Green or greenwash?

"Instead of propping up the ‘low-carbon city’ claims for the proposed artificial islands, the authorities should be brave enough to interrogate the true risks and trade-offs."

🇲🇲 Myanmar

• China and Myanmar resume work on Muse-Kyaukphyu railway

“A Chinese state-owned company and the military regime are quietly pushing forward with a railway line that would run through active conflict zones, after lengthy delays due to Myanmar’s wariness, COVID-19 and then the coup.”

• Japan to ‘appropriately handle’ project benefiting Myanmar’s military

• Shwe Kokko: How Myanmar’s crime hub is destabilizing the region [Updated: Shwe Kokko New City]

🇵🇭 Philippines

• Private sector investors sought for 4 rail projects

• P100M set for study on N. Mindanao rail project

• Philippines urged to hasten airport upgrades

• A new 17km rail line connecting San Mateo to the LRT-2 may soon be in the works

• Cebu City gov't plans 8 bridges, solar farm

• Decarbonization in construction

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Singapore to suspend works on disputed island, Malaysia says

• Beyond 2022: How Singapore's development will affect the property market (Jurong East and Tengah)

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Articles about the Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao high-speed railway:

High-speed railway link talks progress

New Pattaya train station previewed

• Keep Thailand's rail history on track

”Yet despite the value to our society of these assets, the SRT has allocated no budget to conserve them. It has no systematic plan for conserving heritage. It lacks heritage conservation professionals, expertise and operations. It has no inventory of the public heritage under its management. There is little public information, public discussion or public involvement regarding this heritage. The SRT treats these public assets as its own property.”

• Bangkok’s newest park almost ready to open now that last family has moved out

• One Bangkok unveils its smart city living vision