Yangon is the largest city in Myanmar and the main gateway to the rest of the region. The city lies at the confluence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers, and thanks to its port and its industrial activities it is also the commercial, trade and financial hub of Myanmar. 

The city’s cosmopolitan past has contributed to a unique cityscape, including a range of structures from religious sites to colonial administrative buildings, many of which are in poor condition. The city faces tremendous challenges in reviving these structures, due to difficulties in policy, ownership, technical expertise and management. It is estimated that, among its pre-colonial pagodas and temples, mansions and colonial administrative buildings and smaller architectural structures, over 2,000 properties date from before 1950.

Heritage is a well-known concept to Yangon residents; the uniqueness of the city lies not only in its monuments and architectural wealth, but also in assets such as its human and social heritage, traditional activities, historical practices and ways of living that unfold within it. The public space between these buildings, including streets, squares, parks, religious sites and social gathering places once served as interfaces to a vivid, human-centred built environment, attracting people from all over the world and contributing to the city’s unique character. Annually during the monsoon, large areas of Yangon including the Central Business District (CBD) are exposed to flooding. This is only expected to worsen due to climate change. The city was originally built on a wetland and the poorly managed drainage exacerbates flooding occurrence in the city, further compounding flood-related issues of public health and sanitation. The project proposed in Yangon to address urban development issues is called “Revitalising Streetscapes: Unlocking the potential of Yangon City’s Assets”.