A Framework for Ordinary Urban Heritage Mapmaking: The Case of Trok in Rattanakosin, Bangkok’s Historic Center

This research offers an alternative mapmaking framework for Ordinary Urban Heritage (OUH), specifically applied to the Trok (local alleys) of Bangkok's Rattanakosin district. Departing from conventional approaches that might map Trok solely as pedestrian urban patterns, this framework uniquely explores Trok as dynamic urban spaces that enable the manifestation of diverse everyday heritages, including temporary commercial activities, people’s way of living, and sacred spaces, thereby revealing a richer understanding of OUH. The framework's development is grounded in the analysis of existing mapping practices, historical maps, and non-participatory surveys, incorporating five key OUH selection criteria sensitive to these dynamic manifestations: (1) time duration, (2) ordinary people's heritage, (3) everyday heritage cluster formation, (4) heritage adaptation from the urban context, and (5) the existence of heritage in the present day. By integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches and employing thematic, pictorial, and statistical maps, the research demonstrates the potential to represent these multifaceted characteristics of OUH within Trok. Furthermore, the introduction of virtual and digital maps is crucial for capturing the temporal and spatial fluidity of these everyday heritages as they unfold within the Trok. Ultimately, this research contributes an alternative perspective to cultural mapping by providing a framework that moves beyond static representations of urban form to capture the dynamic and context-specific ways in which ordinary urban spaces like Trok become the stage for the continuous enactment of everyday heritages.