The formation and transformation of informal settlements in Yangon, Myanmar: A historical analysis

Yangon’s informal settlements have long been shaped by historical residues of various governing systems and wider political economy since colonial times. However, research on these evolving and highly dynamic urban spaces remains limited. Most existing studies focus on contemporary socio-economic conditions, migration, and the daily lives of the residents, with little attention to their historical transformations. In contrast, this study argues that the contemporary socio-economic dynamics of Yangon’s informal settlements cannot be fully understood without situating them within the historical transformation of different governance systems and broader agrarian political economy of Myanmar. This study therefore primarily seeks to answer (1) historically, how have Myanmar’s agrarian crises interacted with urban governance since colonial times? (2) how have these interactions shaped the distribution and evolution of informal settlements over time? and (3) what are the impacts of these dynamics on present-day socio-economic conditions? The findings reveal that the spatialization of Yangon’s informal settlements and their corresponding socio-economic conditions are intrinsically linked to historical urban governance and broader political-economic changes at the national level, beginning from the colonial period. It argues that their emergence and transformation are shaped by a historically contingent interplay of governance practices, land use policies, and socio-political dynamics. From the city’s geography and topography to its political and economic policies, Yangon’s informal settlements reflect the interplay of socio-economic forces and historical and contemporary urban governance regimes. In essence, Yangon’s informal settlements are spatially and temporally contingent, exhibiting significant socio-economic differences due to their evolving spatial–temporal nature.