Abstract:
Landscape has an impact on the settlement and the expansion of a city. The Upper Central Plains are formed by the fluvial process that caused the geomorphological structure of river terrace and floodplains, which affected the features of the landscape. The ancient settlement of Sukhothai in the Upper Central Plain situated on the river terrace while the present Sukhothai city is located in the floodplain area along the Yom River. This study aims to explore the landscape and its characteristics that influence the humans settlement and the urban expansion by comparing between ancient and present areas of Sukhothai. Geographic information system and remote sensing are applied to specify the landscape structures and conditions, as well as, correlation to the settlements. The results of this study reveal that the settlement location of the two cities led to different conditions and limitations due to their landscape structures. The ancient Sukhothai city situated on the river terrace in order to avoid flood but settling on the foothills thus having drawbacks of flash flood, and water deficient during drought season. On the other hand, the present Sukhothai city has expanded beyond the natural levee into floodplain area that blocks the natural drainage. The lack of understanding in landscape ecological conditions and water management led to flood risk and other environmental problems.