Seven segments constituting the inner part of the city will be prioritised in the initial phase, Mandalay City Development Committee representatives said.
Those areas include: Zone 1, a heritage conservation area around the moat and Royal Palace; Zone 2, a heritage segment around Mandalay city; Zone 3, where development projects will be limited; Zone 4, where development projects will be promoted; Zone 5, a green zone that will include car parking space; Zone 6, for high-end low-rises and private residences; and Zone 7, for clear views of Mandalay Hill and the moat.
“Establishing these zones has been in the works as part of a 30-year city plan drafted by MCDC in 2013,” U Zaw Win, head of a subdivision of the Department of Engineering, told The Myanmar Times on November 20.
“We drew up the plan after consulting with architects. Our first step will be collection data from the inner part of the city. We want the public to collaborate on this endeavour as we are trying to carrying out this project to fulfill the needs of the public.”
He added that urban planning experts will be further consulted in once-a-week meetings. Data collection will aim to incorporate the size of land plots and buildings, types of buildings, number of storeys, population, and conditions of infrastructures in each township and ward. The data will be computerised and used to make projects on potential growth in economic, social and trading sectors, around which the zoning plans will be based.
“Mandalay is growing rapidly. The city is also a commercial hub. So we will need to make preparation for the coming growth,” U Zaw Win said, adding that 15 engineers have been tasked with the project.
In other cities such as Yangon, zoning plans haves been contentious, with some critics claiming they overly favour foreign developers, while others cite the boundaries as too restrictive.
“Zones should conform to the needs of each city. We shouldn’t let heritage buildings suffer from urban development, so it is necessary to take steps to protect them in line with profession advice,” said Mandalay resident and architect Ko Zin Min Swe.
Translation by Zar Zar Soe