The Handicraft Sector in Chiang Mai: Its Role in Sustainable Urban Development

Silver craft and Buddhist temple in the shaping of neighbourhood communities in Wua‐Lai, Chiang Mai, Thailand

“…New product types emerge, such as tourist souvenirs, pieces of jewellery, and home decorations. The techniques of production evolved; new materials (such as aluminium) and machinery were introduced to accelerate production and decrease the cost (Chifos and Looye, 2002). However, until recently, the craft production at Wua‐Lai did not undergo industrialisation.…”

“…Following the government's economic policy, a centre for export‐oriented craft production was created at San‐Kamphaeng village, situated 13 km east of the city. This establishment formed a hub of craft production and trade that can receive busloads of mass tourism (Lubeigt, 1994; Chifos and Looye, 2002). The development of the new artisan centre caused the decline of Wua‐Lai's crafts trade in the 1990s.…”

“…The success as a tourist attraction is engendering a “heterogeneisation” of craft products (Cohen, 2000), offered on local markets that can lead to a loss of distinct character of craft product and craftsmanship, and also to destruction of relationship between the cultural background of the artisans and their craft products. This also impacts the local Lanna culture that is reinvented and sometimes invented to provide tourist attractions and souvenirs (Chifos and Looye, 2002). We can see that the economic regeneration projects lead to another challenge concerning the risk of disappearance of the local craftsmanship and craft knowledge.…”