Urbanization, society and cyclone in Yangon: acknowledging the role of slow ecosystems in the political transition

Abstract

2016 presidential election in Myanmar attracted worldwide attention ending with Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy's triumph. The last closed country in Southeast Asia, a former military-led authoritarian regime, has set out a remarkable process of democratic reform since Aung San Suu Kyi was released in 2010. The transformation was unexpected by the public and the regime. What leads an authoritarian government to enable such a transition on their own initiative? This paper will show how the chain reaction generated by dramatic changes in ecosystems impacts on local society and economy. Two events, the Saffron Revolution in 2007 and the Cyclone Nargis in 2008, provide crucial clues for unfogging Myanmar’s politics. Starting from Yangon’s rapid urbanization since 1988, the paper analyzes the hidden urban ecosystems of human society and building environment behind the events and reveals how the interaction in two interrelated, slow and constantly changing ecosystems in the tropical monsoon climate led to the political transition. By analyzing the history of the relationship between ecosystems, an Asian tropical coastal cities cognitive landscape can be constructed.