Trat Community Development Department Collaborates with Partners to Revitalize Grassroots Economy Driving Creative Spaces for All in Trat Project

Trat Community Development Department partners with networks to revive the grassroots economy by driving the "Creative Spaces for All in Trat" project, harnessing the unique strengths of all seven districts to create distinctive selling points and boost local identity and economy.

On 5 June 2026, Mr. Warong Saengmuang, Deputy Director-General of the Community Development Department, chaired a meeting to advance the "Creative Spaces for All in Trat" project at the meeting room on the 2nd floor of the Trat Provincial Community Development Office, Trat Provincial Hall. The meeting was attended by Trat's Members of Parliament, key target groups including heads of provincial government agencies, Trat Provincial Administrative Organization, district chiefs, Trat Municipality, Ru Rak Samakkhi Social Enterprise Company Limited, Trat business sector representatives, community leaders, OTOP (One Tambon One Product) networks, local citizens, and community development offices from all seven districts. They actively exchanged ideas to jointly outline strategies to uplift community economies through cultural capital and local wisdom.

This meeting focused on discovering new creative ideas for area development, featuring highlights that inspired the participants as follows.

• Lessons from national-level successes: The meeting spotlighted successful development models such as the “Don Khoi Model” from Sakon Nakhon Province, which elevated the value of local indigo fabric, and the case study of “Som Sa, Ban Wang Som Sa” in Phitsanulok Province, which took 12 years to revive local herbs, achieve GI (Geographical Indication) registration, and create storytelling linked to community tourism.
  
  
• The development concept of “Light, Fast, Economical”: This project will apply Placemaking and Tactical Urbanism principles, emphasizing low-cost, rapid area improvements. The key mantra is “replicate the structure of success, not the appearance,” allowing each district’s creative zone to genuinely reflect its unique identity through a bottom-up approach, thereby preventing the problem of “repeating the same template leading to loss of charm.”
  
  
• Introducing “local gems” from 7 districts: Representatives from each area presented initial potentials, such as Mueang Trat district highlighting the Ban Mai Boran Khlong Bang Phra wooden house neighborhood and the final kilometer checkpoint of Sukhumvit Road; Laem Ngop district featuring a community way of life blending two religions and three cultures plus the Ngop Nam Chiao hat; Khao Saming district emphasizing the GI-registered Verlu River oysters; Bo Rai district showcasing Lanna culture and Halawa sweets; Ko Chang district promoting Chan durian GI and Than Mayom Waterfall; Ko Kut district focusing on Ao Yai–Ao Salad areas with local medicinal herbs; and Khlong Yai district emphasizing multiculturalism and local cuisine.
  
  For ongoing implementation, the meeting assigned each district to conduct Focus Group discussions with community members within one month, following four steps: “build close communication, consult, collaborate, and ensure everyone benefits.” The company Amphoe Por Piang Limited (a social enterprise) will act as a mentor, working on-site to ensure community happiness and true ownership of the development process.
  
  The project aims to establish at least one small creative zone in each district that can sustainably generate income circulating within the community. These seven zones will be linked to form a creative tourism route under a shared brand of Trat Province.