Building Towards Safety: Tenure Security & the Improvement of Living Conditions in the Slums of Bangkok

At the young age of 14, my parents took me for my first visit to Thailand. Fascinated as I was by this country, my dream to once stay there for an extended period of time was formed. Several years later, when I was an Urban Planning student at the University of Amsterdam, an opportunity arose to complete my bachelor?s education in Bangkok. It was in the slums of Bangkok where I did research to obtain data for my thesis. As the proud inhabitants showed me their living environment, they explained that most of their housing conditions were very uncertain, since some were on the brink of eviction from their homes and land. During this time, I tried to find out what reasons the brave inhabitants might have to invest in their houses with sometimes very little resources, while living in insecurity.