Patterns of Squatting and Determinants in Dagon Myothit (Seikkan) Township, Yangon City

Department of Higher Education, Department of Geography, Dagon University, Myanmar

Abstract: Squatting is the practice of occupying land or property to which one has no legal title. This paper studies patterns of squatting in Dagon Myothit (Seikkan) Townhip in Yangon City. The study area is located in the eastern part of Yangon City. It is one of the new townships of Yangon City. It has an area of 85.391 sq. km. Its total population is 167488 according to 2014 Census in Myanmar. It has 53358 numbers of squatter populations. The paper examines the patterns of squatter settlements and determinants. Objective of the paper is to study of squatters as social context. Secondary data is recorded from General Administrative Office of Dagon Myothit (Seikkan) Township. Primary data is collected by structured questionnaire and interview methods. Settlement of squatters is studied by dividing into 2 parts such as native people and migrated on the basis of 3 periods; before 1990, between 1990 and 2010, and after 2010. Research shows that before 1990 to the present, 2018 squatter settlement in Dagon Myothit (Seikkan) Township mainly based on the socio-economic factors such as commuting patterns, access to the local public goods, and suffering from natural disaster such as Nargic Cyclone struck in 2008. Determinants in informal settlement are poor urban governance, high living cost and high transport cost When people migrates from poor rural settlement area to urban area and/or urban to urban area.