Upper Floor Project and Green Garden

Let’s start off with Chiang Mai, the hub of creative economy and industry of the Northern region. Despite its central status, the city is also facing several urban development issues, such as gentrification, the lack of green areas, and a myriad of economic problems.

This year, CEA Chiang Mai collaborates with local networks to drive various projects in the old commercial district of ‘Chang Moi – Ratchawong’. Among these is the Upper Floor Project, which is a continuation from last year’s Chiang Mai Design Week, with the goal to encourage residents in the neighborhood to explore prospects to create new business venues on the upper floors of their commercial buildings. It also explores the need to come up with new forms of creative enterprises housed in the vertical spaces, as well as in overlooked vacancies around the district.

While the previous year’s project took place in Mantana Building, the sites of the Upper Floor Project 2 are ‘a two-story house on Chang Moi Khao Road’ and ‘The Goodcery Chiang Mai’ on Ratchawong Road, with four creative entrepreneurs employing the two venues as their site of exhibition. The Basement Performance Arts Group and Longgoy Studio clothing brand will be occupying the space of the two-story house, whereas the 888 Studio Residency, a collective of resident artists, and Thee clothing brand will take up the second floor of The Goodcery Chiang Mai, each turning the original space into their performance studio, art gallery, and showroom respectively.

In addition, all four creative entrepreneurs have arranged workshops for locals of all ages to generate new skills and opportunities for people in the neighborhood, so that they better understand and help contribute to the foundation of a creative economic district.

Apart from creating economic spaces to boost investment, Chang Moi-Ratchwong district is also home to Green Garden, a project aiming to increase green areas in the city’s old commercial district. This includes dedicating space for vegetable plots, vertical gardens, and aesthetic improvement of the sidewalks to increase walkability and add to the general atmosphere of the street.