Migration, Informal Settlement, and Government Response: The Cases of Four Townships in Yangon, Myanmar

Abstract

In Myanmar, the 2008 Constitution stipulated that citizens have the right to settle anywhere in the country. When political and economic reforms begun in 2010 started to gather steam, more and more people began to exercise that right by migrating to cities with Yangon being the most popular destination. Yangon is beyond doubt the driving engine of growth for this country in its new era of induction into the global economy. But Yangon is struggling to support so many new residents so quickly, and government authorities are far from granting any legitimacy to informal settlements—which are receiving the largest numbers of migrants, and the city’s original residents are not keen to accept them either. This paper will examine two informal settlement locations—one at the very periphery of the city and the other located in the area between the Central Business District and the periphery, or “Central City”. These two locations will be compared in terms of their vulnerability to eviction, household debt, and environmental hazards; as well as their supply of basic urban services, employment, and commuting time. The paper will examine a central conundrum facing Yangon today: can orderly, controlled urban growth be achieved while also assimilating the many newcomers in ways that respect their right to mobility and need for basic services? This paper relies upon the author’s own household surveys and field research in addition to recent scholarship on the subject to elucidate this question in light of the vital role these newcomers play in the overall economy and functioning of this burgeoning city.

Keywords

• informal settlements
• urbanization
• urban poverty
• Myanmar
• Burma
• Yangon