The Introduction to Urban Planning online training course took place over three afternoons in Myanmar between 25th – 27th January. The training is part of the Integrated Urban Planning project of the Cities and Infrastructure for Growth (CIG) Myanmar project, known in Myanmar as the Hlan Chi programme.
About the training
The Hlan Chi Team is working closely with staff from the Department of Urban and Housing Development (DUHD) of the Ministry of Construction (MoC) in Myanmar. This first course is part of a long-term capacity development programme linked to the work being done to transform the urban plan-making process into a more strategic and integrated plan that links into implementation. It forms the first of a series of training interventions that will take place on a regular basis over the next months.
This introductory course on urban planning was developed by IHS for 25 DUHD staff. Due to COVID-19 measures, the course was executed as a hybrid course, with video lectures, live online sessions, workshops facilitated locally, and online feedback sessions. 20 of the participants were able to be present in the DUHD office in Nay Pyi Taw, and 5 participants followed the course online, from the Yangon office.
Whilst IHS staff were unable to attend the training in person, the course remained interactive and involve practical learning. The course focused on the latest concepts and approaches, linking theory to practice, using real life experiences that reflect the difficulty of issues faced that improved relevance and application of the concepts.
Impact of the training
In general, this course was aimed to engage participants in critical discussions and debate on how to intervene in cities through urban planning.
Specifically, participants are now able to:
- Reflect on what, why and how we plan and link that to values that underpin planning;
- Identify key actors and critically examine their roles in an urban development process;
- Discuss different types and levels of planning and when they are useful;
- Understand the key characteristics and process of strategic urban planning;
- Reflect on how different approaches to planning apply to Myanmar
