Evaluating use transformation of shophouses: a case study of tourism-oriented change in Chang Moi, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Under intensifying ‘creative city’ and heritage-tourism agendas, Chang Moi is rapidly transforming from a local live – work shophouse corridor into a tourism-oriented district. This study addresses a gap in tourism-gentrification research at the underexplored shophouse-district scale. It proposes a context-sensitive framework integrating the Tourism Intensity Index (TII), Functional Transformation Index (FTI) and Community Displacement Index (CDI) into a Composite Use Transformation Index (CUTI). Using time-series analysis of 138 shophouses, the study traces how tourism intensity drives functional conversion and displacement pressures. Results show a shift towards a tourism-saturated corridor marked by visitor-oriented uses, housing loss, service erosion and a sharp rise in CUTI. Conceptually, the study operationalises a driver–change–outcome pathway at district scale; practically, it offers an early-warning tool for managing tourism-driven change in heritage areas.