Yangon Heritage Strategy. Yangon as Asia s Most Liveable City Rupert Mann

Yangon Heritage Strategy. Yangon as Asia s Most Liveable City Rupert Mann

Yangon Heritage Trust. Local NGO with a local staff, very wide scope of work, under U Thant Myint-U and Moe Moe Lwin. Locally designed, run and implemented.

Yangon at tipping point. Huge change. Yangon hasn t made the mistake of other neighbours unregulated, large-scale development. Huge urbanisation, local and regional Everything to gain, and everything to lose in these next few years.

Great political, social, economic change.

One of Asia s last great, intact heritage cities. Nationally important

Varied heritage

Issues Poor Regulation Development Pressure Lack of Shared Vision Yangon has no dedicated urban heritage regulation or process. Little regulation for urban change Huge development pressures with investors and international agencies wanting to get involved No urban plan, no clear, shared vision. Organisations pulling in different directions

Yangon Heritage Strategy. In time for the new government in 2016. Intended as a way of putting ideas forward to public, government, NGOs. Had to look good, had to be in Burmese.

Tailored. Unique political, social, historic, economic issues and opportunities. Part urban plan, part vision, part strategy, part advocacy, part action. Written in house, designed in house. Wide consultation

Some elements. 1 2 3 4 5 Uniqueness Value of Heritage Liveability Actions Urban Planning

1 Uniqueness. Part of a city s competitive edge.

Yangon s heritage.

Built and Cultural Heritage. Yangon is a city with over 140 religious sites in its downtown area. Thousands of 19 th /20 th century buildings. Traditional foods, economies, festivals and ways of living. Credit: Dora Mitzko

Each city is unique Chaktamuk Hall: South China Morning Post

New Khmer Van Molyvann Lu Ban Hap Et al. IFL: momoa.eu

Culture, community And the physical building White Building: Lim Sokchanlina

We made our share of mistakes in Singapore. For example, in our rush to rebuild, we have knocked down many old and quaint Singapore buildings. Then we realised we were destroying a valuable part of our cultural heritage -Former PM Lee Kuan Yew Bad development in Yangon:

2 Value of Heritage. In Yangon.

social and economic benefits.

Benefits for Yangon Diversity New economies Regional Competitiveness Tourism Having a diverse set of communities is a strength. Heritage conservation gives rise to new economies. Liveable cities attract talent and jobs we can t even imagine today In a time of urabnisation, liveable unique cities have an edge over their neighbours Its important but conservation should be for residents first and foremost.

Diversity. Variety of communities, backgrounds, ideas, problem solving ability is a great strength. Chinatown: Minzayar Oo

New Economies Heritage Creative/tech hospitality

Regional Competition As the region urbanises, as it grows economically, cities are where most will live. Cities that conserve what makes them unique, will have an edge over regional neighbours. Cultural, historic, amenities will attract investment and talent. Sule Pagoda: Tim Webster

3 Liveability. Heritage conservation becomes about more than stopping development or keeping old buildings

A city for people or cars. Traffic congestion is one of the biggest political issues in Yangon today. Solving this through providing good public transport instead of more roads is possible.

Liveability If there s a story behind the image, icon or photo above, then this is the best place to put it. Be concise though! If there s a story behind the image, icon or photo above, then this is the best place to put it. Be concise though! If there s a story behind the image, icon or photo above, then this is the best place to put it. Be concise though! If there s a story behind the image, icon or photo above, then this is the best place to put it. Be concise though!

4 Actions. Proposing achievable actions.

Areas, themes, sites

Actions Define Assets Vision Real-world Projects Partner and start small Map, photograph and catalogue. There was no single document in Yangon YHT undertook a project to conserve a traditional shop house and ensure the local residents felt able to stay. Joining with like-minded organisations, maintain local leadership.

Defining and Presenting. Having a detailed, professional understanding of what heritage assets are where is cheap, can be quick and puts the conservation effort in a strong position. Maps, lists, photos, GIS (or not), conservation areas first.

Real-world demonstration.

Partnerships. Working closely with government, step-by-step. YHT Relies on international advice for very technical issues. To be long-term and have impact, must be locally led and implemented. Yangon General Hospital

5 Urban Planning. Achieving a liveable city, with conserved heritage and sustainable development needs urban planning.

Producing a vision for Yangon that is shared by business leaders, government and the public. One that was hopeful and well communicated. Regenerating civic pride, recovering lost memory. Credit: Bridge Yangon

Supporting good development. YHT doesn t oppose development, Yangon can be like Hong Kong. Doesn t have to replace what makes the city unique. New areas and old ones can benefit from each other. Credit: Green Chameleon from Unsplash.

This is an urban planning effort. YHT defines what should be conserved in detail. And also works to identify areas of the city that can be developed more.

Yangon Heritage Strategy Website yhtliveableyangon.org

Yangon as Asia s most liveable city Credit: Edewaa Foster from Unsplash.