The largest urban rooftop garden in Thailand, boring blue boxes (a panacea for the blight of boring blue boxes), the apartment where you can drive to your living room, the Chinatown new urban area (and a new Chinatown arch), Orange Line update, and building a floodwater tunnel under a canal. This is my annual Bangkok […]
Construction Updates
Hanoi trip report: construction and metro updates
Construction and transport projects in Hanoi, including the demolition of the Shark Jaw building, Hanoi’s future “floating” opera house, demolition of the historic Post Equipment Factory, Vinhomes world-themed shophouses, West Lake’s fantasy Eurotown and groundscaper apartment, hope for the revival of the VietinBank tower, and metro construction updates. I was in Hanoi in October and […]
Bangkok construction update (2024/2025 edition)
Another mall at Siam, the future “Shinjuku of Bangkok”, more classic hotels that have been lost, the South Sukhumvit Innovation District, and a mega project in Chinatown. This is the annual Bangkok construction update, where I visit the most prominent construction projects around the city. Bangkok is one of my most visited cities in Southeast […]
Phnom Penh construction report (2024 edition)
Heritage buildings update, the temple-shaped National Bank building, the fake Paris on Diamond Island, bad urban planning on the Tonle Sap riverfront, a new urban area rises on a disappeared lake, the bird nest towers, and booming BKK1. Phnom Penh construction and infrastructure report (December 2024).
Singapore construction update: 2024 edition
This is an observation of construction and urban development in Singapore from my visit in April 2024. Functional footpaths and drainage I arrived in Singapore via the shuttle train from Johor Bahru. I wrote a construction report for JB, and the biggest frustration about JB (and Malaysia in general) is how hard it is to walk in […]
Johor Bahru construction update – 2024 edition
An update on construction projects in Johor Bahru, including the RTS Link to Singapore. I previously visited Johor Bahru in 2022 to report on construction and transport projects. There are now plans to build a 3-line light rail system, and Johor has dreams of becoming the Shenzhen of Southeast Asia. I made a metro concept map that JB […]
Bangkok construction update: 2023/2024 edition
The groundscraper of Sukhumvit, big projects surrounding Lumphini Park, legal drama for the massage parlour magnate at the Chuvit Garden project, Central Groups expanding mall empire, another iconic 60s hotel is gone, taking liberties with place names, and more. Welcome to the 2024 Bangkok construction update. This is a snapshot of major projects around Bangkok […]
Hanoi construction update: 2023 edition
Starlake City, Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, Tay Ho View, land use around the metro, Tien Bo Plaza, Hello Kitty World, heritage updates, North Hanoi Smart City. This is the Future Southeast Asia construction update and trip report for Hanoi in 2023. The previous report was in October 2022, so this report covers updates in the […]
Melaka trip report: Little Dubai in the Strait of Malacca
The controversial land reclamation area of Melaka Gateway, Malaysia’s mania for ugly carpark podiums, a 9-tower project connected by a skybridge, a proposed 88-storey tower, and the Melaka Monorail. Melaka in Malaysia is a historic port city that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2008. This is the Melaka that most […]
Bangkok construction update – 2022 edition
