Saving

The clock is ticking on efforts to

By KYAW PHYO THA

pavements. These were some of the most memorable experiences of his youth.

But those days now seem a distant memory for the 56-year-old Yangonbased architect, who said that lax regulations on urban planning were threatening his native town, particularly since political and economic reforms in Myanmar since 2011.

“I can no longer imagine those kinds of walks these days, as the city has changed a lot,” he said. “Yangon today is suffocating.”

Outside his downtown office, the wide pavements that Yangon was once famous for have shrunk by two-thirds to make way for the growing number of cars on the now traffic-clogged streets. Drivers too are complaining as commute times have dramatically increased.

A few minutes’ drive away, large public spaces that were once venues