Thailand's ebullient capital is many things, but it is not beautiful. True, there are many lovely things in it, but it can no more be considered comely than can Tokyo, a city it in some ways resembles. Among the reasons for this is that it is simply too vital for the kind of regularity that is said to lead to beauty.
Consider the regulated capitals such as Washington, Paris, Ottowa -- ordered, rational cities with beautifully planned vistas, architecture that speaks in stately, measured tones advising prescribed civic endeavor. Then turn to other capitals and notice the difference. Bangkok, in the words of its eminent resident-historian William Warren, "has a long history of shrugging off efforts at sensible planning, one that is, paradoxically, a major part of its appeal."
There have been a few attempts at city planning. King Chulalongkorn, impressed by the urban achievements he saw during a trip to Europe, returned and built a great boulevard, Ratchadamnoen, inspired by the Mall in London and the Champs Elysees in Paris. It is still there, but it and the surrounding Dusit area did not become a model for a new and better Bangkok.