Bangkok wants your park ideas (yes, your opinion counts)

Bangkok gets a parks makeover, and for once, city officials actually want to hear what you think. No, really.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is on a roll when it comes to upgrading the city's green spaces. The Dog Park at Lumphini Park lets your pooch run free, fresh parks keep popping up around Sathorn, and that connector project links Benjakitti Park to Lumphini Park. The idea behind all this? Make Bangkok the city where people actually want to leave their air-conditioned rooms and spend time outdoors.

Instead of letting urban planners decide what Bangkokians need, the BMA flips the script and asks residents to design their own dream parks. Two consultation sessions have already taken place, with three more on the way across the city.

Want a dedicated space for creative workshops? A proper pet-friendly zone that goes beyond a sad patch of grass? An activity plaza where communities can actually gather? Quiet corners for reading? Playgrounds that don't look like they're from 1985? Whatever you reckon Bangkok parks miss right now, this is your chance to speak up.

The consultation circles take place at five parks around the city. You need to register beforehand. Here's the schedule:

 Wachirabenchathat Park (Rot Fai Park), at the Aerobic Plaza, February 21, 8am-10am 

Benjakitti Park, at Chamchuri Tree Plaza, February 22, 8am-10am 

80th Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King Park, March 1, 3pm-5pm

Registration available at: https://forms.gle/KttAN51pPmYYJs5X7

Can't make the sessions? You can still lob in ideas through the website. The BMA uses all this feedback to develop parks that actually reflect what people want, not what planners think people want.

Whether you're a morning jogger, a weekend picnicker or someone who just wants a decent bench under a tree, your input helps turn Bangkok's parks into places people genuinely love.