Guidelines for Developing Community Potential to Create a Livable Community in Khemmarat District, Ubon Ratchathani Province

Abstract

This research aims to 1) examine the current state of community potential in Khemmarat District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, that contributes to a livable community; 2) explore strategies for enhancing community potential to create a livable environment; and 3) assess the overall community potential in the district. The study employs a mixed-methods approach. In the first phase, document analysis and an assessment of community potential were conducted, targeting 32 individuals from the government sector, private sector, and the general public. The second phase involved field data collection, semi-structured interviews, and participatory community analysis with 20 voluntarily selected participants, including community leaders, village heads, members of the Khemmarat Subdistrict Council, and local occupational group members. The third phase surveyed a sample of 400 individuals, including government officials, private sector representatives, local residents, and tourists. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews, developed based on relevant theoretical frameworks and prior research. The tools were validated by experts and piloted to ensure reliability. with statistical analysis performed to determine percentages, means, and standard deviations.

          The research findings indicate that; 1) Four communities in Khemmarat District Ban Nuea (Moo 1), Ban Khemmarat (Moo 7), Ban Non Nari (Moo 8), and Ban Nong Wilai (Moo 11) demonstrate characteristics conducive to being livable communities. These communities fall under the jurisdiction of the Khemmarat Subdistrict Municipality and possess various types of capital: physical, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and administrative capital. 2) Strategies for enhancing community potential focus on fostering strong social relationships, mutual support, cultural preservation, local wisdom, and leadership development. The process of strengthening community potential follows an action research approach to establish learning communities through three key steps: (1) setting shared goals, (2) developing fundamental structures and mechanisms for learning communities, and 3) implementing collaborative projects with continuous monitoring and evaluation between researchers and community representatives. (3) The assessment of community potential for livability ranked economic capital as the most significant factor, followed by social capital, administrative capital, environmental capital, physical capital, and finally, cultural capital.