Urban Forms and Civic Space in Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Century Bangkok and Rangoon

Main author: Moore, Elizabeth
Other authors: Osiri, Navanath
Format: Journal Article           
Online access: Click here to view record


id eprints-17172
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description Buddhist spaces in Bangkok and Rangoon both had long common traditions prior to nineteenth and early twentieth-century colonial incursions. Top–down central city planning with European designs transformed both cities. While Siamese kings personally initiated civic change that began to widen economic and social interaction of different classes, British models segregated European, Burmese, Indian, and Chinese populations to exacerbate social differences. In addition, the Siamese rulers maintained and enhanced civic spaces of religious compounds while the British occupied the Shwedagon pagoda for military purposes and created spacious gardens for their own use. The article underlines the disparity in the provision of urban forms in central city planning between the royal vision of nation-building developed by King Chulalongkorn and his successor King Vajiravudh and the new capital of Rangoon laid out by colonial engineers where the traditional ritual spaces became the staging ground for nationalist movements. In both cities, urban forms and civic spaces were essential in legitimizing political authority. The article demonstrates the manner in which spatial and visual systems colored the production of civic space to initiate social integration in Bangkok and preamble disintegration in colonial Rangoon.
format Journal Article
author Moore, Elizabeth
author_facet Moore, Elizabeth
Osiri, Navanath
authorStr Moore, Elizabeth
author_letter Moore, Elizabeth
author2 Osiri, Navanath
author2Str Osiri, Navanath
title Urban Forms and Civic Space in Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Century Bangkok and Rangoon
publisher Sage
publishDate 2013
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/17172/