Support from the Policy Level
The 8th National Economic and Social Development Plan ( 1997 – 2001), created with the
participation of many Thai sectors all over the country, reflected the need of Thai people concerning
the Thai society image that they expected to have in the future. The Plan stated “….the natural
resources and environment should have been protected and managed properly, efficiently to form the
basic of the sustainable development of the next generation. Thai people would have better quality of
life, have good habitable city and good habitable community with security and safety, and to be the
pride of all Thai nation ….”
The 8th Development Plan also provided implementation guidelines for many sectors to
strengthen community, emphasize people’s participation in their own community development,
emphasize the development with focus on balance of the economy, the society and the environment
as well as people happiness as the intended outcome and the main target. This is a clear national
policy, acting as the main support for the expansion on larger scale of the current development on
“Healthy City, Healthy Community” and more dimensions.
During the operation of the 9th National Economic and Social Development Plan, people all
over the country gained more knowledge and has been on the first step of the implementation on
“Healthy City, Healthy Community” development. The people have been active and reflecting their
needs to operate a variety of the “Healthy City, Healthy Community”. We can see from the
brainstorming of more than 100 vision stage and the 9th Development Plan which has been set up in
the provincial level, molecule level and national level. There have been more than 20,000 people from
many sectors participating and they have reflected the their thinking and their need in the same
direction to get the development on good habitat city, Healthy Community. The target of 9th
Development Plan (2002-2006) therefore is to improve the quality of life, or in other words “…..to
increase the strength of the community and the society by using the process of strong communities
to motivate and to create the participation on Good Habitat City development, Healthy Community
development, including the adjustment of the management system of natural resources and
environment to be more efficient and with the participation of the people …