2023 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 53-67
The distinctive feature of the community-based road paving project in NongKo village, northeastern Thailand, is that there was no financial assistance from the local government for the purchase of construction materials. Instead, the expenses were covered by donations from the residents and support from businesses associated with the village. Additionally, the paved roads are of high quality as concrete pavement, and there was an improvement in construction techniques observed throughout the four-year construction period. The central settlement of the village is connected by an access road located slightly less than 2 kilometers away from the main highway. Prior to this project, the road was unpaved, making it difficult for vehicles to travel, particularly during the agricultural harvesting season, posing a significant obstacle. Although the village had requested road paving from the county government in the past, it had not been realized. Therefore, the residents needed to undertake the paving project by themselves. NongKo village has a high number of migrant workers, so the work was carried out only for 3 to 4 days in early April when the labor force returned to the village each year, and it took four years to complete.
In this study, we focus on NongKo village in northeastern Thailand as a case study of communitybased infrastructure development. The background to the unique features of NongKo village is believed to be a strong sense of attachment to the community. Therefore, in this study, we conducted questionnaire surveys, factor analysis, covariance structure analysis, and interviews with the village chief and leaders to explore the implementation process of the community-based infrastructure development project in NongKo village and examine the relationship between the residents’attachment to the community and the local environmental and socio-cultural context.
