Evaluation of RHUDO/Bangkok's twinning program

cities to help the Thai cities to solve problems involving environmental infrastructure. The project, which is implemented through a cooperative agreement with the World Environmental Center (WEC) finances visits by Thai municipal planners to their U.S. twin cities and return visits by U.S. municipal development expert. The evaluation covers the first year of activities. The project is achieving its aims. Five Thai cities and one municipal water authority have been matched with comparable-size jurisdictions in the United States: Samut Prakarn with Corpus Christi; Chiang Mai with Knoxville; Pattaya with Savannah; Nakorn Sawan with Louisville; Songkhla with Orlando; and the Bangkok Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) with Oakland's East Bay Municipal Utility Division (EBMUD). The arrangement between Pattaya and Savannah was found to be inappropriate and was canceled; the other relationships are in various stages. Among the criteria applied in selecting Thai cities was whether actual projects that could use TA from a U.S. city or that could potentially be financed in part by loans under the Urban Environmental Infrastructure Support Project's Guaranty Facility were in the design stage. city's progressive thinking and willingness to give priority to environmental problems. Projects currently being assisted or considered include design of a sanitary landfill, a water treatment plant, and a wastewater treatment system; a feasibility study for a constructed wetland; internships; creation of a solid waste management consortium; and training in Geographic Information System (GIS) applications. The twinning program has proven to be a relatively inexpensive way of providing TA. A traditional 1-person, 2-week consultancy costs about $15,000, while the average cost of a 6-person team under the twinning exchange was around $26,000. Ideally, after assistance has been given in one area, the Thai city will take the initiative to continue the relationship and pursue assistance in other areas. In this regard, several activities, including information exchange, participation in workshops, and new connections between universities, have occurred. The effects of these efforts has been positive. The project has: raised the profile of environmental infrastructure needs in Thailand and has introduced Thai municipal officials to a range of environmental technologies; acquainted Thai officials with U.S. practices; introduced the U.S. private sector to potential projects in Thailand (the Chiang Mai project and the Songkhla wetlands proposal); familiarized RHUDO/Bangkok with municipal counterparts in Thailand; and shown U.S. municipal officials the Thailand's need for their assistance. Relationships other than city to city, similar to the MWA-EBMUD twinning, should also continue to be considered. Teams from both sides should be composed of individuals that can "make a difference" and establish a lasting relationship; the Thai teams should include a technical person, one elected official with the power to make or influence decisions, and the City Manager. All the U.S. teams have included private sector representatives; the program could lead to further opportunities for the U.S. private sector to bid on Thai infrastructure projects.