Yangon
Information
Demographic size
Yangon is the largest city in Myanmar, located in South Asia. The city is located on the banks of the Hlaing River. It has 600 square kilometers and a population of 5,430,000 inhabitants.
Its population density is high at 9045 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Urban hierarchy
Yangon is a metropolis because it has more than 5 million inhabitants and a population density of more than 2,000 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Urban morphology
Yangon is an emerging metropolis, brought about by the sprawling urbanization of: Hlaingtharya, Northern Okkalapa and Shwepyithar.
Urban layout
Yangon has a mixed layout. It is formed by a series of straight streets located in the southern part and more irregular in the north
“Invisible” walls that make social segregation possible
There is an invisible wall that separates the social class of the people that lives near the center or in it and the zone of the east Dagon that they have a very lower social class.
Futile urbanisation or "urbanalizació"
Yangon follows the style of colonial cities in the British. Are built with the same pattern.
Economic Functions
Agriculture is his principal economic activity.
The predominant crop is rice, which takes up nearly half of the arable land.
Currently, much of the trade in heavy industry, energy and rice remains in the hands of the state and private investment is concentrated in the rest of the sectors.
Forestry is intensive.
Internal transportation
TheYangon city center can be reached on foot. If you want to go to some places, including Shwedagon Pagoda and Inya Lake, as well as some museums, restaurants and bars, you may need to catch a taxi. Taxis are the most popular internal transport and they have a bus system.
Trishaws (cycle rickshaws) are another way to cover shorter distances in the downtown area, although foreigners tend to get ripped off, and you will rarely be able to get one for less than the price of a taxi. The Yangon Circular Railway is the local suburban railway network that serves the Yangon metropolitan area. Operated by Myanmar Railways
Types of dwellings
The Burmese urban house is a very popular type of accommodation that we can see in the center of Yangon.
There are different types of houses in the villages of Burma:
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The wealthiest people often live in sturdy mahogany homes that are raised up and have plank floors and tile roofs.
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Those who have a low income can live in a thatched roof, bamboo houses that have earth floors.
Residential Suburbs
In the western district of Yangon we can find the residential suburbs of Ahlon, Bagan, Dagon, Hlaing, Kamayut, Kyauktada, Kyimyindaing, Lanmadaw, Latha, Mayangon, Pabedan and Sanchaung.
In the eastern district of Yangon we can find the residential suburbs of Botataung, Dangan Seikkan, Dawbon, Mingala Taungnyunt, New Dagon East, New Dagon North, New Dagon South, North Okkalapa, Pazundaung, South Okkalapa, Tamwe, Thaketa, Thingangyun and Yankin.
In the southern district of Yangon we can find the residential suburbs of Dala and Seikkyi Kanaungto.
In the northern district of Yangon we can find the residential suburbs of Insein, Hlaingthaya, Mingaladon and Shwepyitha.
Outskirts or periphery
The urban periphery – areas around a city – plays an important role in the growth and development of a city.
These areas attract manufacturing because costs tend to be lower and individuals because they serve as the entry points for migrants.
Yangon has seen little spatial expansion in recent years, despite a rising population. Urban planners are now looking towards peri-urban townships bordering Yangon’s central business district as future spots for growth.
We see it in the homes and people on the outskirts who belong to a lower social class than those who live closer to the centre of Yangon.
Business center or industrial center
Myanmar's business centre, the country in which it is situated, is Yangon.
Do not think that Yangon is the typical metropolis of South-East Asia of large skyscrapers, multicolored lights, advanced technology and a crowd of people everywhere. In the city of Yangon, the large pagodas, the open spaces and a good number of buildings from the colonial period continue to have a primary relevance.
It continues being the economic and commercial engine of the country.
You can find a wide variety of museums, art galleries and markets, as well as all kinds of restaurants influenced by the gastronomy of the neighboring countries.
Smart city
Becoming a smart city is the latest trend among urban planners and many cities are working hard to become one. A smart city is envisioned to be a livable community with all the amenities of modern technology. With digital technology as the backbone of the system, a smart city can generate data and identify immediate solutions to improve existing conditions. It is projected that a smart city would have a security system that would reduce crime; a traffic management system that would prevent clogging in the streets and make commuting period shorter; a waste management system that can reduce and recycle trash; and all of these powered by alternative energy sources. This sounds utopian, but the fact is that many cities in the world, particularly in Asia are currently in the process of transforming into becoming ‘smart.’ Being wired using the digital backbone is important to generate and build-up data which will be the source of the trends and patterns that will be analyzed to provide a solution to an identified problem. This means the system will also be an open data ecosystem that anybody can access. To make this possible it is necessary that the governance system is also transparent. It will be a case of the people in the city contributing to make the place a better place to live in. The days when only the political leaders and the bureaucrats are the only ones deciding will be over, and participation will be the new normal.
Waste management
In Yangon there is a center called Reform centers which continue to create livelihoods and fight against plastic pollution.
Currently, there are six Final Disposal Sites (FDS) in the city of Yangon that dispose of garbage found in the city.
On the average, over 1,690 tons of garbage is generated per day and around 0.396 kg per person. A figure that is below the world average.
Reform center
It is one of the safest cities in all of Asia, although the poor state of conservation of many of its streets and the relatively frequent problems with the electricity supply, at first, it turns out to be a somewhat rough and difficult city. However, it is a vibrant city that represents the cutting edge of Myanmar.
Digital kiosks, smart streetlights and AppLab
We haven’t found any type of application to help the inhabitants of the city by offering them services such as digital kiosks, etc. This is due to the fact that it is not currently a smart city and it is not advanced enough to have this. Yangon is currently working to be a smart city and in the future have apps or digital kiosks that can offer services to the inhabitants.
Currently it also doesn’t have smart lights on the streets as it is not yet advanced enough technology to have these smart lights on the streets. It’s very possible that when it is a smart city they’ll think about putting these lights on the streets.