The city's sprawl has since extended into several neighboring districts, namely Hang Dong in the south, Mae Rim in the north, Suthep in the west and San Kamphaeng in the east, forming the Chiang Mai urban area with over a million residents.

Pha Yu enlarged and fortified it and built Wat Phra Singh in honor of his father, Kham Fu.

[21] Following the municipal city area's enlargement to 40,2 km² in 1983, no changes or updates have been made to it, even with the population increasing substantially in the years after.

[16] In 1983, Chiang Mai's urban area, with a population of 127,000, already exceeded the municipal city limits, and has grown to over one million people in 2022.

To reflect the city's growth beyond the municipal borders, official government documents by the Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization and the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning - published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette - regularly update and outline the current city boundaries.

The third revision from 2012 expands the old municipal city border inside Muaeng Chiang Mai district to Mae Rim in the north, San Kamphaeng and Doi Saket in the east, Hang Dong and Saraphi in the south, and Suthep in the west.

[16][22] The city's sprawl reaches into six neighboring districts: Mae Rim, Doi Saket, San Kamphaeng, Hang Dong, Saraphi and Suthep.

Chiang Mai has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), tempered by the low latitude and moderate elevation, with warm to hot weather year-round, though nighttime conditions during the dry season can be cool and much lower than daytime highs.

[40] In January 2018, it was announced that Chiang Mai would be launching "Mobike In", a bike-sharing app that would see the introduction of some 500 smart bikes on the streets.

It is reported that as a start, the bikes would be placed at convenient locations including the Three Kings monument, Tha Pae Gate and Suan Buak Haad Park, as well as in the old town.

[41] DEPA has also provided funding to Chiang Mai's Maejo University, to develop wireless sensor systems for better farmland irrigation techniques, to reduce use of water sprinklers and increase productivity.

[40] Under the 2011 IBM "Smarter Cities Challenge", IBM experts recommended smarter food initiatives focused on creating agricultural data for farmers, including price modelling, farmer-focused weather forecasting tools, an e-portal to help farmers align crop production with demand, as well as branding of Chiang Mai produce.

Longer-term recommendations included implementing traceability, enabling the tracking of produce from farm to consumer, smarter irrigation as well as flood control and early warning systems.

[42] As part of the smart city project supported by IBM, Chiang Mai is also looking to use technology to boost its presence as a medical tourism hub.

For example, healthcare providers could use real-time location tracking of patients and hospital assets to increase efficiency and build an internationally recognised service identity.

[46] As the largest city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai already receives some long stay healthcare visitors, largely Japanese.

Quality services at low prices are a major selling point in mainstream healthcare, dental and ophthalmologic care as well as Thai traditional medicine.

[50] The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) aims to market Chiang Mai as a global MICE city as part of a five-year plan.

There are 44 of such structures in the city area, ranging from very prominent landmarks to small remnants that have almost completely disappeared or are overgrown with vegetation.

Faced with rampant unplanned development, air and water pollution, waste management problems, and traffic congestion, the city has launched a non-motorised transport (NMT) system.

Tourists have increased demand for traditional crafts and art forms that has resulted in the incentives for local artists to enhance their work thus adding to the sector.

The factor analysis illustrates three types of agri needs, activities and shopping, facilities, services and location and the last one attractions and environment.

A continuing environmental issue in Chiang Mai is the incidence of air pollution that primarily occurs every year between December and April.

[81] The northern centre of the Meteorological Department has reported that low-pressure areas from China trap forest fire smoke in the mountains along the Thai-Myanmar border.

In addition to its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the NMT initiative addresses other issues such as traffic congestion, air quality, income generation for the poor, and the long-term viability of the tourism industry.

[87][88][89] Shopping destinations geared towards tourists in Chiang Mai include the large and famous Night Bazaar for local arts and handicrafts.

The most famous handicraft and food market, called Tha Phae Walking Street or Chiang Mai Sunday Night Market, opens every Sunday at 5 PM until 10:30 PM for 1 kilometer on Rachadamnoen Road, the main street in the historical centre of the old city, which is then closed to motorised traffic.

Most of them agree that factors such as lack of public transport, increasing number of motor vehicles, inefficient land use plan and urban sprawl, have led to these problems.

The Chiang Mai Arcade bus terminal northeast of the city centre (which can be reached with a songthaew or tuk-tuk ride) provides services to over 20 other destinations in Thailand including Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, and Phuket.

[98] Chiang Mai International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in Thailand and receives an average of 50 flights a day from Bangkok (25 from Suvarnabhumi and also 25 from Don Mueang, flight time about 1 hour 10 minutes) and also serves as a local hub for services to other northern cities such as Chiang Rai, Phrae, and Mae Hong Son.