Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Environmental Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jenvman Research article Impact of land use transformation and anti-flood infrastructure on flooding in world heritage site and peri-urban area: A case study of Thailand's Ayutthaya province Nawhath Thanvisitthpon Department of Architectural Technology, Faculty of Architecture, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Thailand ARTICLEINFO Keywords: Urban land use peri-Urban community Social impact Flood vulnerability Heritage city ABSTRACT This research investigates the impact of land use transformation and anti-flood structural infrastructure on flood situations in four flood-prone districts of Thailand's Ayutthaya: Phra Nakhon Si Ayudhya (PNSA), Bang Ban, Phak Hai, and Sena. PNSA is a UNESCO world heritage city and the cultural and economic hub of Ayutthaya. The finding showed that a large proportion of agricultural land was converted into commercial areas to accom- modate economic development and population growth. Furthermore, construction of anti-flood structure in- frastructure in PNSA increased flood intensity and duration in three neighboring districts as more floodwater was diverted to the peri-urban area. In addition, this research looks into the social impacts related to land use change and anti-flood structural infrastructure. 1. Introduction Ayutthaya was Thailand's former capital city dating back to 1350–1767 A.D. It is located 80 kilometers north of the present-day capital Bangkok. The province of Ayutthaya is renowned for its UNESCO world heritage site which is situated in Phra Nakhon Si Ayudhya (PNSA) district. Over the past four decades, agricultural land in the province was developed into commercial and industrial areas, and urban infra- structure constructed along with the development (Thanvisitthpon, 2016b). In addition, most of the traditionally raised-floor houses (stilt houses) were converted into one- or two-story western-style houses. In fact, Ayutthaya province is faced with repetitive flooding every rainy season given its low-lying geography. According to (Ainuddin and Routray, 2012; Akhteretal.,2015; Anacioetal.,2016; Langholtz et al., 2014; Lo, 2013; Manandhar et al., 2015), repetitive floods resulted in property damage, flood-related diseases, stress, and anxiety. The district of PNSA is the cultural and economic hub of the pro- vince.Successivegovernmentsthereforebuiltanti-floodstructures,e.g., floodwalls,floodwaterpumps,levees,toprotecttheeconomiczoneand historical site (Thanvisitthpon, 2016b). However, the structures wor- sened the flood situations in three neighboring districts: Bang Ban, Phak Hai, and Sena (peri-urban area). According to (Thanvisitthpon, 2017), all four districts (PNSA, Bang Ban, Phak Hai, Sena) were flooded every rainy season. Current models of future land use change and urban growth based on past development patterns are an essential tool for city planning and natural disaster management (Christiaensen and Todo, 2013; Zhou, 2000). Furthermore, infrastructure development in urban areas has both positive and negative impacts on peri-urban areas (Chace and Walsh, 2006; Henderson and Wang, 2005; Rahimi, 2016; Thanvisitthpon, 2016a, 2016b). Construction of structural infra- structure to protect urban areas against flooding brings about several social impacts on local residents. Miguez et al., 2009 studied urban flood control measures in the JoanaRiverwatershedinBrazil'snorthernregionofRiodeJaneiroCity using mathematical simulation models. The topography is similar to Thailand'sflood-proneprovinceofAyutthaya.Theaimwastoassessthe efficiency of existing flood control measures to mitigate flood impacts and improve urban planning. Fernández and Lutz (2010) proposed GIS-aided urban flood hazard zoning using multicriteria decision analysis for Argentina's Tucumán province. The analytical criteria included drainage infrastructure effi- ciency, geographical features, groundwater conditions, and land utili- zation. The result identified urban zones in the province that were susceptible to flood hazards and necessary anti-flood measures for- mulated. Kubal et al. (2009) assessed urban flood risks of Germany's city of Leipzig, using economic, social, and ecological criteria. These criteria were integrated using a weighted multicriteria decision rule im- plemented by a software tool. The results showed that the social and economic aspects contributed significantly to flood vulnerability of the city. The aims of this research are to assess the impact of land use transformation on flooding situations in four flood-prone districts of Ayutthayaprovince;theimpactofanti-floodinfrastructureconstruction https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.094 Received 12 February 2019; Received in revised form 13 May 2019; Accepted 19 June 2019 Journal of Environmental Management 247 (2019) 518–524 0301-4797/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T