Editing Thimphu (section)

==Urban structure==

===Demkhongs===

====Changangkha====
Changangkha is a western central district, located between the [[Chubachu]] centre and [[Motithang]] to the west. It contains the [[Changangkha Lhakhang]].<ref name="Pommaret, 162">Pommaret, p. 162</ref> Changangkha Temple is one of the oldest temples in the Thimphu valley, founded by [[Phajo Drugom Zhigpo]], founder of the [[Drukpa Lineage]] in Bhutan,<ref>Pommaret (2006), p.181</ref> and extended by his son Nyima in the 13th century. The temple houses a statue of [[Avalokiteśvara#Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara|Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara]] as well as very large [[prayer wheel]]s and unusually large size sacred scriptures.<ref name="Brown, p. 106">Brown, p. 106</ref> The temple was restored in 1998–99. A well known incense factory, named Nado Poedzokhang,  is located above the Lhakhang in Changangkha.<ref name="Pommaret, 181"/>

====Changzamtok====
Changzamtok is a southern district from the main centre, bordered by the [[Hospital Area]] to the west, by Gongphel Lam and the Wang Chuu river to the east.<ref name="Pommaret, 162"/>

{{wide image|Panoramic view Thimphu 1.jpg|900px|align-cap=center|Panoramic view of Thimphu, Bhutan}}

====Chubachu====
[[Chubachu]] is the central district. It is bounded by the [[Chubachu River]] to the north, the Wang Chuu River to the east and Changangkha and Motithang to the west.<ref name="Pommaret, 167">Pommaret, pp. 166–167</ref> Below Chubachu lies the Centenary Farmers Market which runs throughout the week. A weekend market is held on the western bank of the Wang Chu. To the west lies the Norzin Lam road which divides Chubachu from Motithang. This road contains the [[Bhutan Textile Museum]] and the [[National Library of Bhutan]]. The central road of the district is called Yanden Lam. The eastern road of the district is Chogyal Lam which runs northwest–southeast along the banks of the Wang Chu.<ref name="Pommaret, 167"/>

====Hospital Area====
The [[Hospital Area]] is a central district of Thimphu. Located south of the [[Memorial Chorten, Thimphu|Memorial Chorten]], it contains the central roundabout, [[JDWR Hospital]] and the [[Royal Bhutan Police]] national headquarters.<ref>Pommaret, p. 167</ref> The Gongphel Lam road divides it from Changzamthok District.

====Jungshina====
Jungshina is a northern district. It contains the Wangduetse Gompa.<ref name="Pommaret, 162"/>

====Kawangjangsa====
[[File:DDC-Office-Thimphu.JPG|thumb|left|DDC Office in Kawajangsa]]
Kawangjangsa  (or Kawajangsa) is a western district, north of Motithang, and north of the Chubachu River.
The Institute of Traditional Medicine, Institute for Zorig Chusum, the National Library of Bhutan, the [[Folk Heritage Museum]] and the Bhutan Telecom Offices are located in Kawajangsa.<ref name="Pommaret, 167"/> The [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] (WWF) has its Bhutanese headquarters here; it has been responsible for facilitating tiger conservation in Bhutan.

====Langjupakha====
[[File:Thimphu.JPG|thumb|View of Thimphu from the southern part of Langjupakha in the northeastern part of the city.]]
Langjupakha is a northeastern district of Thimphu. Located on the eastern bank of the Wang Chuu it contains the Royal Banquet Hall, SAARC building and National Assembly and Centre for Bhutan Studies.<ref name="Pommaret, 162"/>

The SAARCC building in Thimphu was initially built for the purpose of holding the SAARC (South East Asia Association for Regional Cooperation) conference, in the early 1990s. It is located across the Wang Chuu River opposite to the Tashechho Dzong. This elegant structure is built in a fusion of Bhutanese and modern architecture with high tech facilities. It presently houses the Ministries of Planning and Foreign Affairs. The National Assembly, which used to meet in the Tashechhoe Dzong until 1993, is now held in this building in an elaborately decorated assembly hall at the end of two long decorated corridors. The National Assembly meets here twice a year. The banquet hall is also close by.<ref name="Brown, p. 105">Brown, p. 105</ref>

====Motithang====
[[Motithang]] is a north-western district of Thimphu. The [[Chubachu River]] divides the district from [[Kawajangsa]] further north and [[Chubachu]] district lies to the east.

Meaning "the meadow of pearls", the area only developed as a residential area in the 1980s, following the initial establishment of the [[Motithang Hotel]] in 1974, on the occasion of the coronation of [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck]].<ref name="Pommaret, 181">Pommaret, p. 181</ref> At the time, the hotel was located in the middle of forest, separated from the city by farmland but today this area has grown up with houses and gardens.

Aside from the Motithang Hotel, the district contains several notable state guest houses such as the [[Kungacholing]] and [[Lhundupling]], Rapten Apartments and the [[Amankora Thimphu]].<ref name="Pommaret, 181"/> It also contains the National Commission for Cultural Affairs, a [[UNICEF]] station and several grocery stores, including the Lhatshog supermarket.<ref name="Pommaret, 181"/> Schools include [[Motithang Higher Secondary School]] and Jigme Namgyal School. Other buildings in Mottithang are the Royal Bodyguard Camp and the Youth Centre.<ref name="Brown, p.214">Brown, p. 214</ref>

There is also a notable [[takin]] wildlife sanctuary in the district, named [[Motithang Takin Preserve]].

====Sangyegang====
Sangyegang is a western district, north of the Chubachu River but south of Zilukha. It contains the Sangyegang Telecom Tower and a golf course to the east which expands north in the Zilukha part of the city.<ref name="Pommaret, 162"/>

====Yangchenphug====
[[File:Thimphu03.jpg|thumb|Looking across the river towards the main town from Yangchenphug]]
[[Yangchenphug]] is an eastern district, located across the [[Wang Chu River]] from the city centre and contains the [[Lungten Zampa Middle School]] and [[Yangchenphug High School]].<ref name="Pommaret, 167"/> The main road is Dechen Lam which follows the line of the river and connects the district to [[Zamazingka]] in the south.

====Zamazingka====
[[Zamazingka]] is an eastern district, located across the [[Wang Chu River]] from the city centre. The main road is Dechen Lam, which follows the line of the river and connects the district to [[Yangchenphug]] in the north and eventually leads to [[Paro, Bhutan|Paro]] to the south.<ref name="Pommaret, 162"/>

====Zilukha====
Zilukha is a northern district, located between Jungshina to the north and Sangyegang to the south. It contains the Drubthob Gonpa/Zilukha Nunnery once belonged to the Drubthob (Realized one) Thang Thong Gyalpo often referred to as The King of the open field. In the early 15th century with his multiple talents he popularly became the Leonardo da Vinci of the Great Himalayas.
The place also has a great view of the majestic, Tashi Chhoe Dzong (Fortress of Glorious Religion) and government cottages nearby. A golf course spans much of the district flanking the lower eastern part.<ref name="Pommaret, 162"/>

===City planning===
Thimphu was selected to be the capital of Bhutan in 1952 but was not officially established as capital of Bhutan until 1961. It was then a hamlet of a few houses built, around the Tashichhoe Dzong. The city has expanded slowly over the years along river banks and on high ground. Lower plains along the river have also been occupied. It was only after the country was opened for foreign visitors that it grew rapidly. Thimphu is now a major city with all civic amenities such as well planned wide roads with traffic police controlling the traffic, banks, hotels and restaurants, institutions of arts, culture, media, sports and also the traditional [[dzongs]], [[monasteries]] and [[chortens]]. Consequently, a boom in property value in Thimphu has been reported.<ref name=Dzongkhag/><ref name="Brown, p. 97"/><ref name=Fraser>{{Cite book|last=Fraser|first= Neil |author2= Anima Bhattacharya|author3= Bimalendu Bhattacharya|title= Geography of a Himalayan kingdom: Bhutan|pages=188–190|access-date=2010-06-07|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OzLsd5nvzGwC&q=Topography+of+Thimphu+Chu&pg=PA189|publisher= Concept Publishing Company|year=2001|isbn=81-7022-887-5}}</ref><ref name="Palin, p. 253-254">Palin, p. 253-254</ref>

The residential area of the city constitutes 38.3% of the total area. In the non-residential area, 9.3% of the city consists of administrative buildings, 4% of commercial establishments, 10.1% is taken up by health, educational or institutional structures, 2% by industrial establishments and 3.8% by security.<ref name=Fraser/> The remaining 32.5% of the city constitutes dispersed open spaces with vacant lands, which need to be preserved in any future planning and expansion.<ref name=Fraser/>

[[File:Roadside shops north of Thimphu.jpg|thumb|right|Shops in the lower market of Thimphu.]]

The Thimphu Structure Plan is a modern urban development plan for the Thimphu city, evolved in 1998, with the objective of protecting the fragile ecology of the valley, including its rivers and forests. This planning was necessitated due to growth of automobiles and pressure on the public health infrastructure in the town centre, restrictions imposed on plot coverage and building heights. The plan was approved by the Council of Ministers in 2003.<ref name=Bhut>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhutannica.org/index.php?title=Thimphu_Structure_Plan|title=Thimphu Structure Plan|publisher=Bhutannica|access-date=2010-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522093912/http://www.bhutannica.org/index.php?title=Thimphu_Structure_Plan|archive-date=2011-05-22|url-status=usurped}}</ref> An elected body, the Thimphu Municipal Corporation, is implementing the plan, drawn up by the American architect [[Christopher Charles Benninger]]. This plan is estimated to cost more than $1 billion when completed.<ref name=Bhut/> Funds for implementation of the plan are being provided by the [[World Bank]] and the [[Asian Development Bank]].  There are some disputed areas between land owners and stakeholders, which has resulted in the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank requesting the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MOWHS) to resolve the issues through a process of the agreement, before further funds are released.<ref name=plan>{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/sigus/www/NEW/files/Bhutan/THIMPHU.pdf|title=Thimphu 2020: Alternative Visions for Bhutan's Capital City|access-date=2010-06-05|publisher=Thimpu City Corporation, MIW and World Bank|year=2001}}</ref><ref name=bhut>{{cite web|url=http://www.bhutannica.org/index.php?|title=Thimphu_Structure_Plan|access-date=2010-06-08|publisher=Bhutannica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517074320/http://www.bhutannica.org/index.php|archive-date=2013-05-17|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=fore>{{cite web|url=http://www.dudh.gov.bt/Thimphustructural/Index.html |title=Foreword |access-date=2010-06-08 |publisher=Government of Bhutan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623013525/http://www.dudh.gov.bt/Thimphustructural/Index.html |archive-date=2010-06-23 }}</ref>

The clear planning concepts that have been established within the 'Structured Plan' are: the Tashichheo Dzong, Wang Chuu and the streams, Green Hills and their Forest cover, monasteries, temples, chortens and prayer flags, the urban core, urban villages and the urban corridor. The southern entrance of the city at [[Simtokha Dzong]] anchors the city limits with the Northern and Western limits of the Wang Chuu Valley.<ref name=fore/><ref name=dream>{{cite web|url=http://www.dudh.gov.bt/Thimphustructural/Index.html |title=The City Of Our Dreams |access-date=2010-06-08 |publisher=Government of Bhutan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623013525/http://www.dudh.gov.bt/Thimphustructural/Index.html |archive-date=2010-06-23 }}</ref>

Under a development plan for 2027, much of the city will be car-free pedestrian zones filled with arcaded walkways, plazas, courtyards, cafes, and exhibitions, with automobile traffic confined to the edges of the city. Parks and footpaths will be developed along riverfronts, and no construction will be allowed within {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off}} of a river or stream. City planners also announced that the rule that buildings be constructed to reflect traditional Bhutanese architecture, which was often violated in the past, would be enforced more strictly. Many of the economic activities that take place in the city, along with military and police infrastructure, would be moved. It is expected that by this time, the city's population will have increased to 162,000.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bhutanobserver.bt/3413-bo-news-about-thimphu_by_2027.aspx |title=Thimphu by 2027 &#124; Bhutan Observer |access-date=2015-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208131331/http://bhutanobserver.bt/3413-bo-news-about-thimphu_by_2027.aspx |archive-date=2015-12-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Urban expansion===
[[File:Thimphu city in the valley.jpg|thumb|Urban expansion in Thimphu]]
Over the last 50 years, since its establishment as the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu has witnessed expansion, initially at a slow pace, then rapidly after the country was opened up to the outside world after the coronation of the fourth King, [[Jigme Singye Wangchuck]]. Broadly, the city's natural systems are under three categories:  natural (forest, bush cover, river, and watersheds), agricultural (orchards, rice paddies, grazing lands) and recreational (public open space, parks, stadium).<ref name=plan/>

The urban expansion has seen a structured development plan for 2027.<ref name="Palin, p. 253-254"/><ref name="fore"/><ref name=History>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourism.gov.bt/about-bhutan/history|title=Bhutan: History|access-date=2010-06-07|publisher=Tourism Council of Bhutan:Government of Bhutan|archive-date=2010-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621074052/http://www.tourism.gov.bt/about-bhutan/history|url-status=dead}}</ref> The buildings will continue to be built to retain ancient Bhutanese culture and architectural styles but with a measured and modulated blend of modern development, meeting requirements of national and civic administration and all basic civic amenities such as roads, water supply and drainage, hospitals, schools and colleges, electricity, media centres and so forth. The monuments or buildings of note are the sprawling [[Tashichho Dzong]], built like a fortress, which is the centre of Bhutanese administration as well as monastic centre, the [[Memorial Chorten, Thimphu]] and the National Assembly of the newly formed parliamentary democracy within the monarchic rule. The Palace of the King located to the north of the city, called the [[Dechencholing Palace]], the official residence of the King, is an impressive structure that provides a grand aerial view of the city.<ref name=Dzongkhag/><ref name="Brown, p. 97"/><ref name="Palin, p. 253-254"/>

Rapid expansion following the pattern of [[rural exodus]] has resulted in considerable rebuilding in the city centre and mushrooming of suburban development elsewhere. Norzin Lam, the recently upgraded main thoroughfare, is lined with shops, restaurants, retail arcades and public buildings.<ref name=Dzongkhag/><ref name="Brown, p. 97"/><ref name="Palin, p. 253-254"/>

Within the core area of the city, there is a mix of apartment blocks, small family homes and family-owned stores. By regulation, all buildings are required to be designed in traditional style with Buddhist paintings and motifs. A lively weekend market near the river supplies meat, vegetables and tourist items. Most of the city's limited light industry is located south of the main bridge. Thimphu has a growing number of commercial services and offices, which provide for ever-growing local needs.<ref name=Dzongkhag/><ref name="Brown, p. 97"/><ref name="Palin, p. 253-254"/>