Marketers waiting for the train to pass. (Image source)
The Mae Klong Railway Market is an amazing
example of the city as a symbiotic adaptive organism. During my research on
informal markets I came across the market in the city of Mae Klong, 70 km
outside of Bangkok for the first time. After some research I realised that the
videos for the market have been quite successful YouTube hits. But as I could
only find entries on travel blogs and travel magazines I decided to pick it up
and share it herewith. In case you haven’t seen the videos do check them out
below.
Mae Klong Railway Market is known as Talad-Rom-Hoob (dtà-làat
rôm hùpตลาดร่มหุบ)
in Thai which translates something like collapsible shady market. The name
refers to the distinctiveness of this market: located directly on and next to
the railway tracks, once the train arrives the marketers pull back their
awnings and umbrellas to let the train pass. Immediately after the train has
passed the market gets reconfigured and the sales continue. The only indicators
of the spectacle are the train tracks which are then used as the circulation
food paths of the market.
The Mae Klong railway passes the market 6
to 8 times a day. It is unclear whether the train tracks were laid out after
the longitudinal market was established, or the other way around: the decision for the location
of the market was taken in
advantage of the low frequency of the trains to use the provided space that the - at other times
unused - tracks provide. Either way, what this unique market excavates is a
symbiotic adaptive urban phenomenon who developed most probably out of pressure
on available land close to the train station, which serves as a transport hub
for local connections.
The market is a fluid transitory space
whose architecture has been adapted to the specific situation. The design of
the market stalls and awnings simply follows functional demands and its
construction was built up by using everyday and easily found materials. The
informal, intuitive approach to architecture by the marketers is impressing and
has created a space of event.
A comparable railway market can also be
found in Peru: the Juliaca
Market. And of course the tourist attraction of Damnoen Saduak floating market should be mentioned here.
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