In its mission statement, YHT states that “the conservation of the city’s rich heritage plays a vital role in making Yangon one of the most livable and vibrant cities in Asia”. YHT advocates for heritage conservation, develops policy options to address this pursuit, undertakes conservation projects, facilitates training, and organizes studies and conferences related the conservation of Yangon (Yangon Heritage Trust, 2014). YHT’s understanding of heritage conservation takes into account the impact of different rates of change - in particular, sudden and substantial changes occur that can detrimentally impact existing communities. When change is undertaken with comprehensive participation at a pace determined as reasonable by an affected community, it can itself become part of the heritage of the community, and contribute to the area’s health and growth.
YHT’s work goes beyond advocating for the conservation of Yangon’s built heritage and the adoption of a comprehensive zoning plan for the CBD; its vision is to modernize the whole city while preserving its historic character, by focusing on both the physical environment as well as the social fabric of Yangon (The Economist 2014).
vision for a future Yangon, should be understood as suggestions that can be considered alongside other options as policy-making evolves in Yangon.
1.2. Goals The goal of this report is to propose strategies that can be considered in planning for the development, heritage and future of Yangon’s CBD community that will preserve existing communities and their surrounding historic fabric through inclusive and integrated planning. These recommendations, presented as a elements of a
Image 4 - Apartment buildings with ground floor commercial spaces in Yangon’s CBD
Image 5 - YHT director Thant Myint U
Yangon at a Turning Point: Progress, Heritage, and Community - 7
