Myanmar authorities appear to be interested in a plan proposed by the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) to build a path for walkers and cyclists from Shwedagon Pagoda to Botataung Pagoda, with two state-run newspapers publishing stories about the proposal that was first made in Aug. 2016.
“We have requested [the walkway] for walkers or cyclists. There is no cyclist-only path in Yangon, and the platforms are not very convenient. So, we want to suggest to the Yangon Region government to create a walkway,” YHT information officer Ma Noe Noe Aung told the military-run Myawady Daily on Thursday.
The Global New Light of Myanmar republished the same story today.
The walkway would stretch from the southern gate of Shwedagon Pagoda through other historic and scenic sites, like the Aung San Museum, Kandawgyi Park, Sule Pagoda, and downtown’s colonial corridors before reaching Botataung Pagoda by the river.
The route would ideally link to a wider system of walking routes through downtown Yangon.
The plan for the walkway was included in YHT’s 152-page Yangon Heritage Strategy, which contains suggestions on how planners can “[combine] conservation and development to create Asia’s most livable city.”
READ: 5 takeaways from Yangon Heritage Trust’s new vision for the city
The strategy also recommends the redevelopment of Yangon’s waterfront in the model of Shanghai’s Bund – an open space for pedestrians that was created by moving several traffic lanes into an underground tunnel.
Other recommendations, like a proposal for water taxis on Yangon’s rivers, have already been implemented. Let’s hope the government’s interest in the plan means we’ll be getting a beautiful new walkway soon.
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