The city, Yangon was rebuilt in 1852 after the Second Anglo-Myanmar War. It was laid out in chessboard pattern. Most of the roads are constructed North to South and East to West and the Sule Pagoda is the center of the city at that time. Since then, the city had been designated as the capital of Myanmar and known to the world as a former name Rangoon. After the Second World War, the population of Yangon had reached 700,000 so there is a lot of high rate of immigration to the city. Therefore, three satellite new towns namely South and North Okkalapa and Thaketa were constructed during the period of 1958 to 1960 for the settlement of about 150,000 families of squatters. There were however, after that time there were no settlement schemes after 1962 resulting in deterioration of the city and further re-accumulation of the squatters again. Repaid growth of the city has contributed to environment degradation and deterioration of natural resources as well as acute shortages of the housing congestion has upset the quality of human life.
In 1984 there were about 100,000 households of squatters in the city. The city has historically grown to the northwards because of the constrained of the two rivers, Hlaing River and Ngamoeyeik cheek. It is the intention of the government to reduce the dominance of the central area by encouraging development in new areas. Plans for the construction of Dagon Myothit (North, South, East and Seikkan), Shwepyithar and Hlaingtharyar with balanced urban structures for removal and resettlement of squatters, settlement of the Government employees having the services of 15 years to this new settlement town. The state constructed Bayintnagung Bridge across the Hlaing River, Aungzayya Bridge and Shwepuithar Bridge over the Hlaing River and Mahabandoola Bridge over the Ngamoeyeik creek. Five new satellite towns have been established since 1989 and the city area has been further extended to 223 square miles in 1991 and 236 square miles in 1996. Now the city area is round about 300 square miles.
Actually the new satellite towns have been constructed with necessary social services and infrastructures on "site and service" basic. Industrial zones were provided in each town for job opportunity creation in these new satellite towns. Whilst the longer term these new satellite town may become more self contained and self sufficient. At present they still rely heavily on the CBD on commuting to work opportunities in the central area and elsewhere throughout the established urban area. The establishment of these new satellite towns has therefore created additional demands on the overloaded transportation systems in the city. So there is a how city develop from the Colonial time to the present. I am going to present about the Urban Public Transportation Development. There is an Urban Transportation Development in Yangon City before 1948. Horse-drawn vehicles were the only means of transport until 1880's. These Horse-drawn carts are till 1960. When we were young we saw that Horse-drawn cart in the CBT area. In 1884 the first tramway in Yangon was opened by Messrs J.W. Drwood. This is the first tramway drawn by steam engine, who run a steam on a line from the Strand Road (now we call Kanner Road) turn right to the Pagoda road this is the first tram line. A year later another line was run from China Street (now we call Shwedagon Pagoda Road) to the west ward along the Dalhousie that we call Mahabandoola to the junction with the Strand Road and east ward from China Street along Dalhosie up to Sule Pagoda Road. And turn along Montgomerie, now we call Bogyoke Aung San Road to the Pazundaung. In 1886, the western was extended to the Williams Street now we call Kaingdan Street and a further line was established from the Sule Pagoda along the Mahabandoola and turn to the right along the Theinphyu at that time they call Judah Ezekiel Street.
