Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya exhibits path-dependent layering: 1767 destruction created heritage tourism core, surrounded by industrial corridor following the same river geography.
Ayutthaya demonstrates how strategic geography creates path-dependent development across centuries. Founded in 1351 on an island where three rivers converge—connecting the Andaman Sea to the South China Sea—the city exploited its position at a continental trade junction. By 1700, Ayutthaya had grown to nearly one million residents, making it one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan cities. European visitors described it as "noble" and "wealthy."
The 1767 Burmese destruction ended Ayutthaya's dominance but created a different kind of economic resource: heritage. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, the 289-hectare historical park containing 67 temple ruins now draws approximately two million visitors annually. The ruins that mark the city's death have become its primary contemporary asset.
Modern Ayutthaya exemplifies dual economic layers that rarely interact. Heritage tourism occupies the ancient core, while the surrounding area forms part of Thailand's industrial and transport corridor to Bangkok. Factories and logistics centers ring a UNESCO site. This layering is itself path-dependent: Bangkok was built to replicate Ayutthaya's destroyed urban template, and the industrial corridor that links them follows the same river geography that made the ancient capital prosperous. The rivers that brought merchants now bring container traffic.