Bangkok Design Week is back again this year from January 27th to February 4th, 2024 under the theme of “Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City.” The nine-day festival features over 500 activities spread throughout 15 Bangkok neighborhoods. Visitors will get to enjoy fun activities and create memorable experiences, deepening their appreciation of Bangkok’s many charms.

Bangkok Design Week 2024 (BKKDW2024) is the seventh edition of the event series. Previous years’ themes include “urban‘NICE’zation” (2023) and “Co With Creation” (2022).

What makes a livable city

This year’s theme “Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City,” is inspired by the recognition that while Bangkok has established its reputation as a leading global “city to visit,” it is concurrently ranked lower as a “livable city.” 

The livability of a city is assessed through residents’ daily experience, encompassing the physical, mental, and social aspects of the environment from the private to public spheres. Therefore, being a top city to visit doesn’t necessarily translate to being a livable city. 

A city is more important than just a place to live in; it plays a crucial role in shaping the thoughts, lifestyles, and existence of its inhabitants in terms of physical and mental health, economics, and society. At the same time, people have a vital role in contributing to the construction and improvement of their city. Together, we can transform the city we live in into a place that is better for the body, better for the mind, and more livable overall.

Hard matters, heart matters, and design matters

This year’s Bangkok Design Week will present the three essential dimensions that foster how people bond and care about the city, which include:

• Hard matters

People shape cities, and cities shape people. Therefore, it’s important that a city is physically well-designed, effortlessly accessible, and promotes good health because a livable city isn’t just indicated by its physicality but also by its mentality. Thus, if the city is well, the people are well.

• Heart matters

A city is more than just a physical space or place; it’s enriched with a diversity of people and cultures. A livable city should be emotionally nurturing, caring for its people, offering a variety of activities, and celebrating authentic culture.

• Design matters

Good design usually comes from identifying specific challenges relevant to people and their context. A well-designed city should employ the design process to enhance the quality of life for its residents, creating an environment conducive to comfortable living, promoting well-being, and providing satisfaction to the community.

Event highlights

With over 15 neighborhoods or “creative districts” hosting programs this year, visitors can anticipate more than 500 programs spanning showcases, music and performances, workshops, tours, talks, special events, and markets. The week is set to be a showcase of fresh ideas for making Bangkok a more “livable” city. To make the events easier to navigate, organizers have produced the Happining Map platform linked to its programs database.

Developed in collaboration with the Collective Resilience Network and Creative Economy Agency (CEA), visitors can enjoy seamless navigation that enhances the festival experience. This map goes beyond just displaying event locations and programs; it enables visitors to share their experiences, feelings, and opinions. Additionally, users can receive real-time notifications and recommendations from both the festival and other visitors.

The Bangkok Design Week website also has a “My Plan” feature that allows users to save any programs they’re interested in and view them separately in the My Plan page. To learn more, check out the Bangkok Design Week 2024 website and/or social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter).

About Bangkok Design Week

Bangkok Design Week is organized by the Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization) or CEA in collaboration with over 60 state agencies, public organizations, academic institutions, and international organizations, as well as 2,000 designers and creative businesses.

Each year, the event draws an estimated 400,000 visitors domestically and from abroad, supporting Bangkok as part of the UNESCO Creative City Network and making it a tentpole event for local creators. Learn more about the event at the Bangkok Design Week official website.