The study of public and private partnership in urban development as a smart city: a case study of light rail transit constructing project in Khon Kaen

Abstract

A Study of Public and Private Partnership in Urban Development as a Smart City: A Case Study of the Light Rail Transit Constructing Project in Khon Kaen is aimed at: 1) studying and developing cooperation within urban development policies in a public private partnership model in Khon Kaen; 2) studying the public private partnership implemented in urban development in Khon Kaen; 3) studying the roles and operation of public private partnership in urban development in Khon Kaen; 4) studying the strengths, limitations, problems and threats to urban development in the public private partnership model; and 5) proposing policy-based suggestions to the government. This study involves a qualitative approach using interviews with relevant people in the public sector (regional government offices), private sector and five local administrative organizations based on observations and information obtained from documents which comprise the major tool for data collection.

The findings indicate that this form of partnership has arisen because Khon Kaen City has realized various issues as a result of its rapid growth. Local administrative organizations and the people sector have, therefore, devised a concept of urban development by way of a Smart City by starting with the development of a mass transit system as its first priority. However, due to certain budgetary constraints related to construction, the private sector under the name of Khon Kaen City Development (KKTT) Co., Ltd. offered its support in pushing the Khon Kaen Urban Development Project. Initially, a budget was funded for driving the project. Thus, the Khon Kaen Urban Development Project was initiated from the bottom-up, which resulted in the cooperation of five local administrative organizations under the name of Khon Kaen Transit System Co., Ltd. (KKTS) and the private sector. However, pushing forward with the Khon Kaen Urban Development Project has made them face several problems and threats, a part of which may be related to insufficient decentralization.