A new type of institution of higher learning has opened it's doors in Bangkok, Thailand. The Urban Green Development Institute (UDGI) was developed to address the rapidly expanding city's urban development and environmental concerns.

Working with the institute is Ralph Gakenheimer, Professor of Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who also did research on Bangkok's city planning in the 1990's.

Professor Gakenheimer speaks positively of Bangkok's potential while acknowledging various problems that need to be addressed such as proper land use to prevent or minimize flooding as well as the congestion caused by the sheer number of cars growing along with the ever-increasing population of Thailand's capital city.

The institute which was established by the Governor of Bangkok working with MIT and Harvard professors and will incorporate several different areas of study encompassing all aspects of urban development from education and health to city planning and environmental management.

The Urban Green Development Institute will differ from traditional universities in that it will not have separate departments for English, Mathematics, and Science. The course of study will focus on problem-solving rather than a discipline based curriculum. Professors along with co-instructors who are members of the Bangkok administration will work together with advanced graduate students to solve real-life issues facing the Bangkok metropolitan area such as proper land usage, environmental issues and traffic congestion.

Although the doors are officially open, The Urban Green Development Institute has yet to start admitting students. UDGI is set to become a unique and innovative way to deal with the existing problems and the challenges that lay ahead for this evolving metropolis that is one of Asia's fastest growing cities. Urban planners across the globe will be watching to see how the institute deals with these challenges and how Bangkok "The City of Angels" will benefit from the solutions provided by UDGI.

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