Mae Kha City Lab แม่ข่าเปลี่ยน เชียงใหม่
Chiang Mai · North · Thailand
Civic labs and participationParticipatory urbanismCommons and belonging2023
Urban lab opened in 2023 beside the Mae Kha canal, for decades an open sewer. It runs walks on the canal's history and ecology, a light festival with Night Bazaar businesses and a native plant garden planted with residents. It grew out of a framework for canal-side land use agreed with CODI and Jai Baan. The tension lies on the banks: the municipal account sells the canal as a tourist attraction and barely mentions the informal communities who live there.
- Led by
- An independent urban researcher with Jai Baan Studio and CODI, supported by PMUA and the municipality
- Status
- Active
- Participation
- Co-governed
- Visitable
- Yes, office on Rakaeng Road and guided walks along the canal
- Contact
- No public contact on record
- Last reviewed
- 27 September 2026
Verification
Verified
This place is backed by at least one primary and one secondary source, reviewed within the last twelve months. The sources appear below with their consultation dates.
- Verified two sources including a primary one, or first-hand knowledge of the place
- Partial one source on record
- Unverified starting knowledge, sources pending
Sources
- Mae Kha City Lab: Transforming Mae Kha Canal into a City's Learning Space ↗ · primary source · consulted on 27 September 2026 · Chiang Mai Learning City (PMUA)
- Sewer Becomes Tourist Attraction: Chiang Mai's Makeover of Mae Kha Canal ↗ · secondary source · consulted on 27 September 2026 · ICLEI Southeast Asia