This document is a country report on Thailand and a  detailed report on pro-poor housing finance. More than 36% of Thais live in urban areas. Urbanization is not a recent phenomenon in Thailand. Urban and rural areas have been major social, economic, and geographic aspects dating back at least, to the Ayuthaya Period (prior to 1765)2. Ayuthaya was one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in Asia, a thriving seaport envied not only by the Burmese but by the Europeans who were in great awe of the city. It has been said that London, at the time, was a mere village in comparison.