Chiang Mai’s ancient Mae Kha Canal is finding its rhythm again. Once a working waterway at the heart of the city, the canal and its banks have been quietly transformed through a collaboration between the Chiang Mai Municipality, private sector partners, local residents and students — all of whom have had a hand in greening, beautifying and animating the space.
The municipality has upgraded walkways along both banks, improving connectivity between communities and making the route safer and more pleasant underfoot. The rest has been filled in by the people who live and work along its edges: splashes of colour, tended greenery and the kind of easy neighbourliness that makes a public space actually feel public.
Residents and visitors alike are welcome to come and wander the shaded canal path, take in the street art and get a feel for daily life along one of Chiang Mai’s oldest waterways.
However, there are kilometres upon kilometres left of the putrid waterway to clean up.
