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Design for Conservation

Environmental Futures Initiative


Design on the Road to Burma

Instructors: Ashley Scott Kelly; Dorothy Tang; Ivan Valin

At The University of Hong Kong

Course abstract:

Large-scale regional planning and infrastructure development is often implemented with a virtual absence of people on the ground, creating conflicts in land tenure, economic livelihood, and environmental resource use and conservation. "Design on the Road to Burma" takes students' learning to the frontier landscapes of transnational development along the Thai-Myanmar border, reinforcing the importance of fieldwork in reconciling abstract geographical data and real site conditions. Recently revived investment in the 250-square-kilometer industrial port of Dawei, Myanmar's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and a 212-kilometer cross-border road link is prompting urban development and large-scale land use change within one of last intact forest corridors in the region. Students spend the first six weeks producing a collective research report that combines detailed timelines on regional development and environmental conservation with international case studies and narrates landscape processes in situ from mining extraction and afforestation to wildlife movement.

    During field work, students traveled overland via Bangkok into Dawei, Myanmar and presented their research to several international NGOs and local CSOs, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Fauna and Flora International (FFI), The Border Consortium (TBC), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), EcoDev, and Dawei Development Association (DDA) at their field offices and locations in Yangon. Students visit sites including large industrial estates along Thailand's Eastern Seaboard, Map Ta Phut and Laem Chabang, Myanmar's resettlement housing at Dawei, community forest programmes and national parks, the Mergui Archipelago's fishing villages, and village-led conservation initiatives. Proximity to Thailand and recent "opening up" of the region to transnational forces makes this both an important case study and viable site for designers to provide alternative development strategies to a complex set of actors. For the second half of the course, students develop design proposals that engage development projects, including resettlement, community forestry, corporate social responsibility programmes, ecotourism, sustainable agroindustry, and "green" capacity building programmes.

    Studio final review. By TSANG Yik Ming Yammi, 2015.
    Studio final review. By TSANG Yik Ming Yammi, 2015.
    Dawei road near Bawapin Tin Mine. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2015.
    Dawei road near Bawapin Tin Mine. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2015.
    Students at the site of the SEZ's proposed reservoir, Kalonehtar village, Tanintharyi. By Dorothy Tang, 2015.
    Students at the site of the SEZ's proposed reservoir, Kalonehtar village, Tanintharyi. By Dorothy Tang, 2015.
    Students meeting with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Mynamar in Yangon. By FEI Xiaoyan Mimi, 2015.
    Students meeting with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Mynamar in Yangon. By FEI Xiaoyan Mimi, 2015.
    Tin mine extraction networks in Tanintharyi. By WONG Hiu Yan Monique, 2015.
    Tin mine extraction networks in Tanintharyi. By WONG Hiu Yan Monique, 2015.
    Strategies for managing wildlife corridors in Tanintharyi. By PANG Tsz Yung Kity, 2015.
    Strategies for managing wildlife corridors in Tanintharyi. By PANG Tsz Yung Kity, 2015.
    Community forestry in year 30: Self-reliance and sustainable economy for Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By WONG Lok Yan Olive, 2015.
    Community forestry in year 30: Self-reliance and sustainable economy for Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By WONG Lok Yan Olive, 2015.
    Excerpts from "Operation Manual: Speculating Dawei Special Economic Zone (DSEZ) Plan 2015". By YUEN Chun Yin Tony, 2015.
    Excerpts from "Operation Manual: Speculating Dawei Special Economic Zone (DSEZ) Plan 2015". By YUEN Chun Yin Tony, 2015.
    Dawei Special Economic Zone phase one investment and build-out scenario. By WONG Ting Fung Anson, 2015.
    Dawei Special Economic Zone phase one investment and build-out scenario. By WONG Ting Fung Anson, 2015.
    Buffer zone and landscape management in Tanintharyi National Park. By CHIU Ho Wan Issac, 2015.
    Buffer zone and landscape management in Tanintharyi National Park. By CHIU Ho Wan Issac, 2015.
    Design for sustainable mining investment, Ban Chaung coal mine, year 2040. By TON Amanda, 2015.
    Design for sustainable mining investment, Ban Chaung coal mine, year 2040. By TON Amanda, 2015.
    Landscape strategy for equitable land use for large agro-industry and smallholders east of Dawei Special Economic Zone. By CHEUNG Oi Wai Charity, 2015.
    Landscape strategy for equitable land use for large agro-industry and smallholders east of Dawei Special Economic Zone. By CHEUNG Oi Wai Charity, 2015.
    Oil palm plantations on unsuitable slopes in southern Myanmar. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2016.
    Oil palm plantations on unsuitable slopes in southern Myanmar. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2016.
    HKU students observing the Myanmar Stark Prestige Plantation (MSPP) east of Myeik city, Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2016.
    HKU students observing the Myanmar Stark Prestige Plantation (MSPP) east of Myeik city, Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2016.
    Studio class with Karen villagers in Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By LAM Wing Yan Rosemary, 2015.
    Studio class with Karen villagers in Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By LAM Wing Yan Rosemary, 2015.
    Landscape planning strategy for smallholder agricultural cooperative. By AU YOUNG Chung Yan Sam, 2015.
    Landscape planning strategy for smallholder agricultural cooperative. By AU YOUNG Chung Yan Sam, 2015.
    Before and after section views of strategic planning for Myeik oil palm plantation. By AU YOUNG Chung Yan Sam, 2015.
    Before and after section views of strategic planning for Myeik oil palm plantation. By AU YOUNG Chung Yan Sam, 2015.
    Juxtaposition of smallholder agriculture and large-scale agro-industrial plantations. By AU YOUNG Chung Yan Sam, 2015.
    Juxtaposition of smallholder agriculture and large-scale agro-industrial plantations. By AU YOUNG Chung Yan Sam, 2015.
    Alternative energy schemes deployed under various planning principles for lower Tanintharyi River. By LIN Zhiqhi Chloe, 2015.
    Alternative energy schemes deployed under various planning principles for lower Tanintharyi River. By LIN Zhiqhi Chloe, 2015.
    Integration scheme for negotiation of Karen village and agro-industrial development. By MCCULLOUGH Andrea, 2015.
    Integration scheme for negotiation of Karen village and agro-industrial development. By MCCULLOUGH Andrea, 2015.
    Timeline of land security struggles for villages in Tanintharyi Township. By WONG Wing Tung Eunice, 2015.
    Timeline of land security struggles for villages in Tanintharyi Township. By WONG Wing Tung Eunice, 2015.
    Landscape planning strategies for three villages impacted agroindustrial development. By WONG Wing Tung Eunice, 2015.
    Landscape planning strategies for three villages impacted agroindustrial development. By WONG Wing Tung Eunice, 2015.
    Catalog of forest management systems. By YUEN Ho Shun John, 2015.
    Catalog of forest management systems. By YUEN Ho Shun John, 2015.
    Charity Cheung, final year BA(LS) student, presenting her proposal to integrate smallholders and large agroindustry through sustainable infrastructure and landscape planning. By TSANG Yik Ming Yammi, 2014.
    Charity Cheung, final year BA(LS) student, presenting her proposal to integrate smallholders and large agroindustry through sustainable infrastructure and landscape planning. By TSANG Yik Ming Yammi, 2014.
    Amanda Ton defends her landscape planning proposal for more sustainable approaches to coal mining in the Ban Chaung Valley, Myanmar during HKU Architecture's Public Review. By Scott Melbourne, 2014.
    Amanda Ton defends her landscape planning proposal for more sustainable approaches to coal mining in the Ban Chaung Valley, Myanmar during HKU Architecture's Public Review. By Scott Melbourne, 2014.
    Amanda Ton, final year BA(LS) student, presenting her proposal for alternative environmental management of the Ban Chaung coal mines. By TSANG Yik Ming Yammi, 2014.
    Amanda Ton, final year BA(LS) student, presenting her proposal for alternative environmental management of the Ban Chaung coal mines. By TSANG Yik Ming Yammi, 2014.
    Andrea MCCULLOUGH presents her scheme for landscape-based negotiation and compensation within a large oil palm plantation. By LAM Wing Yan Rosemary, 2015.
    Andrea MCCULLOUGH presents her scheme for landscape-based negotiation and compensation within a large oil palm plantation. By LAM Wing Yan Rosemary, 2015.
    Sam AU YOUNG Chung Yan defends her landscape planning proposal for equitable land rights for peoples displaced large-scale agroindustry during the Faculty of Architecture's Public Review, 2015.
    Sam AU YOUNG Chung Yan defends her landscape planning proposal for equitable land rights for peoples displaced large-scale agroindustry during the Faculty of Architecture's Public Review, 2015.
    Chloe LIN Zhiqi defends her landscape planning proposal for more sustainable energy generation for villages along the Tanintharyi River during the Faculty of Architecture's Public Review, 2015.
    Chloe LIN Zhiqi defends her landscape planning proposal for more sustainable energy generation for villages along the Tanintharyi River during the Faculty of Architecture's Public Review, 2015.
    From Ethnic to Wildlife Conflict: Ecological corridors and refugee repatriation on the upper Tanintharyi River. By CHU Lok Yan Minnie, 2016.
    From Ethnic to Wildlife Conflict: Ecological corridors and refugee repatriation on the upper Tanintharyi River. By CHU Lok Yan Minnie, 2016.
    From Ethnic to Wildlife Conflict: Ecological corridors and refugee repatriation on the upper Tanintharyi River. By CHU Lok Yan Minnie, 2016.
    From Ethnic to Wildlife Conflict: Ecological corridors and refugee repatriation on the upper Tanintharyi River. By CHU Lok Yan Minnie, 2016.
    Max-capacity Landscapes: Village intensification, integration, and capacity-building for returning refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. By HO Pik Lam Theodora, 2016.
    Max-capacity Landscapes: Village intensification, integration, and capacity-building for returning refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. By HO Pik Lam Theodora, 2016.
    Max-capacity Landscapes: Village intensification, integration, and capacity-building for returning refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. By HO Pik Lam Theodora, 2016.
    Max-capacity Landscapes: Village intensification, integration, and capacity-building for returning refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. By HO Pik Lam Theodora, 2016.
    Max-capacity Landscapes: Village intensification, integration, and capacity-building for returning refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. By HO Pik Lam Theodora, 2016.
    Max-capacity Landscapes: Village intensification, integration, and capacity-building for returning refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. By HO Pik Lam Theodora, 2016.
    Programming the Forest: Non-zoned approaches to customary rights in Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By KHOO Ting Fung Natalie, 2016.
    Programming the Forest: Non-zoned approaches to customary rights in Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By KHOO Ting Fung Natalie, 2016.
    Programming the Forest: Non-zoned approaches to customary rights in Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By KHOO Ting Fung Natalie, 2016.
    Programming the Forest: Non-zoned approaches to customary rights in Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By KHOO Ting Fung Natalie, 2016.
    Programming the Forest: Non-zoned approaches to customary rights in Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By KHOO Ting Fung Natalie, 2016.
    Programming the Forest: Non-zoned approaches to customary rights in Tanintharyi Nature Reserve. By KHOO Ting Fung Natalie, 2016.
    Amplified Industrial Terrain: Micro-scale and anticipatory approaches to incremental planning of Dawei SEZ. By NG Lai Ching Daisy, 2016.
    Amplified Industrial Terrain: Micro-scale and anticipatory approaches to incremental planning of Dawei SEZ. By NG Lai Ching Daisy, 2016.
    Amplified Industrial Terrain: Micro-scale and anticipatory approaches to incremental planning of Dawei SEZ. By NG Lai Ching Daisy, 2016.
    Amplified Industrial Terrain: Micro-scale and anticipatory approaches to incremental planning of Dawei SEZ. By NG Lai Ching Daisy, 2016.
    Amplified Industrial Terrain: Micro-scale and anticipatory approaches to incremental planning of Dawei SEZ. By NG Lai Ching Daisy, 2016.
    Amplified Industrial Terrain: Micro-scale and anticipatory approaches to incremental planning of Dawei SEZ. By NG Lai Ching Daisy, 2016.
    Extraction Untamed: Alternative environmental management strategies for Thai investment in Heinda tin mine. By TSOI King Yan Ingrid, 2016.
    Extraction Untamed: Alternative environmental management strategies for Thai investment in Heinda tin mine. By TSOI King Yan Ingrid, 2016.
    Extraction Untamed: Alternative environmental management strategies for Thai investment in Heinda tin mine. By TSOI King Yan Ingrid, 2016.
    Extraction Untamed: Alternative environmental management strategies for Thai investment in Heinda tin mine. By TSOI King Yan Ingrid, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    SEZ Occupied: Landscapes, compensation, and anticipating development through Village Priority Action Areas. By WANG Junwen David, 2016.
    Engineered Land Rights: Compensation, displacement and alternative impact scopes for the Dawei Road Link. By ZHANG Tongtong Sherly, 2016.
    Engineered Land Rights: Compensation, displacement and alternative impact scopes for the Dawei Road Link. By ZHANG Tongtong Sherly, 2016.
    Engineered Land Rights: Compensation, displacement and alternative impact scopes for the Dawei Road Link. By ZHANG Tongtong Sherly, 2016.
    Engineered Land Rights: Compensation, displacement and alternative impact scopes for the Dawei Road Link. By ZHANG Tongtong Sherly, 2016.
    Case study site visit to petrochemical estate, Map Ta Phut, Thailand. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2016.
    Case study site visit to petrochemical estate, Map Ta Phut, Thailand. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2016.
    Site visit along Dawei Road Link at Elephant Cry Hill, Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2017.
    Site visit along Dawei Road Link at Elephant Cry Hill, Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By Ashley Scott Kelly, 2017.
    Students participated in village wildlife conservation ceremony, Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By LAU Tik Sze Daisy, 2017.
    Students participated in village wildlife conservation ceremony, Tanintharyi, Myanmar. By LAU Tik Sze Daisy, 2017.
    Students meeting with Michaunglaung village to discuss TNRP Corporate Social Responsibility program. By Maxime Decaudin, 2016.
    Students meeting with Michaunglaung village to discuss TNRP Corporate Social Responsibility program. By Maxime Decaudin, 2016.