Lanna Buddhist temple: the cultural landscape as urban green space

Abstract

In Northern Thailand, Lanna culture and Buddhism have been playing as principles of life for over 700 years. The Theravada Buddhism and cosmology concepts displayed through the zoning, layout, and site planning of the Lanna temple associated with culture and society, can propel the temple space to be an important component of urban green space. From an ecological value, the Lanna temple is a place of native plant collection which can be found in both the time of Buddha and the present time by cultural practices and serves as maintenance for the sustainability of the temple. This study attempts to review Theravada Buddhism concepts that reveal nature conservation, gives the perspective of conceptual transformation from Theravada Buddhism concepts to tangible and intangible heritage in the context of Lanna culture and discusses the urban development effect in Thailand on the Lanna temple landscape to enhance the awareness of the ecological value and cultural value of the Lanna temple.