Imagined urban futures of Yangon
As a newcomer to the city earlier this year, I noticed that urban development and planning in Yangon was a topic that often came up in many discussions, be it with colleagues or during other informal encounters. The general sentiments among locals and foreigners were alike: the nearly undisputed consensus was that the old downtown should be preserved, that the traffic congestion and general infrastructure issues should be addressed, and that public space ought to be expanded. It was a consensus expressed with a sense of optimism that now is a key moment for the unprecedented development of Yangon after decades of military governance that lacked a vision for the city. Indeed, following Myanmar’s incremental transition since 2011, urban politics have received considerable attention due to the liberalization of the economy, leading to a rapid influx of the international community in forms of governments, the private sector, and NGOs, and an increase in the urban population, which in turn urged the need for a new era of development.
