Contents
,
33
+120
2 Helsinki University of Technology
Department of Architecture - Urban Planning and Design
City in Crisis 2009:
STUDENTS
AALTONEN Noora (Ms) FI noora.aaltonen@tkk.fi
GOMEZ AGUDELO Laura (Ms) ES lalocalauris@hotmail.com
GONDON Claire (Ms) BE clairoune.gon@hotmail.com
HARSIA Eveliina (Ms) FI ksharsia@cc.hut.fi
HERRADOR Valle (Ms) ES mherrado@cc.hut.fi
HOVILA Sisko (Ms) FI hhovila@cc.hut.fi
LLEDÓ Elena (Ms) ES zhyma@hotmail.com
MATO SABAT Marta (Ms) ES marta.matosabat@epfl.ch
NAEDER Alexandre (Mr) FR alexandrenaeder@hotmail.fr
SCOTT Peter (Mr) AU peterscott77@hotmail.com
SIMON BAULENAS Albert (Mr) ES albertsimon@hotmail.com
TOVAR NUEZ Andres (Mr) ES andres.tovarnuez@epfl.ch
TRUEMAN Mark (Mr) AU mtrueman@cc.hut.fi
VIRKKALA Inari (Ms) FI inari.virkkala@tkk.fi
YANG Yue (Ms) CN ydyytt@hotmail.com
TEACHERS
KALANJE, Humphrey (Mr) TAN kalanje@cc.hut.fi
KJISIK, Hennu (Mr) FIN hennu.kjisik@h-k.fi
PUHAKKA-AUTIO, Auli (Ms) FIN auli.puhakka@tkk.fi
VASKO, Veikko (Mr) FIN vasko.architects@co.inet.fi
Foreword
HENNU KJISIK, VEIKKO VASKO & HUMPHREY KALANJE
Architects in the wealthy parts of the world have a
tendency of being primarily interested in what their
4 more successful counterparts in other wealthy parts of
the world are busy with. The professional magazines in
Europe, North America and the rich parts of Asia are
concentrating on the “wow-factor” and its various mani-
festations. It is far less common that these publications
deal with the everyday problems of the majority of the
world’s population.
It is partly because of this that the Department of Archi-
tecture at Helsinki University of Technology has given
courses on development issues since 1993. The approach
of the first programme named Interplay of Cultures
was to give an introduction to the general development
problems of the majority of the world’s people and
communities. Its aim was, and still is, to strengthen the
global awareness and social conscience of the students,
as well as helping to understand the realities of life and
conditions of professional work in developing countries
of the South. Since these things are notoriously difficult
to teach in lecture halls and drawing studios of northern
universities, the annual field work period has, since the
beginning, been an essential part of the teaching process.
In the beginning, in 1994-1997, this was carried out in
Senegal to acquaint students with an African context.
There our base was Centre Arc in Rufisque, a cultural
centre run by Anne Rosenlew-Cremieux. Most projects
were theoretical exercises, as has always been the general
idea of the course, but some of them led to realisations,
lak
e
boe
ung
kak
(1+

THE BLUE HEART OF PHNOM
PENH, THE BOEUNG KAK LAKE, IS
BEING FILLED UP FOR COMMER-
CIAL PURPOSES. DURING OUR
TWO-WEEK WORKSHOP WITH THE
NGO STT, WE TRIED TO COME UP
WITH ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES.
THE POSTCARDS SCATTERED
TROUGHOUT THE BOOK WAS ONE
OF OUR ATTEMPTS TO TRY TO
PRESERVE THE LAKE: AS THE RESI-
DENTS AND VISITORS OF PHNOM
PENH WOULD SEE THE BEAUTY
AND GREATNESS OF THE LAKE,
THE GENERAL PUBLIC OPINION
AGAINST THE FILLING WOULD BE
STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP THE
DISGRACEFUL DESTRUCTION.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE THEM
AS REAL POSTCARDS, PLEASE
SEND US AN E-MAIL AND WE WILL
BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU THE FILE.
most prominently the “Red House”, the women’s centre
in Rufisque (by Saija Hollmén, Jenni Reuter, and Hel-
ena Sandman) which has been published in many of the
world’s foremost architectural magazines.
The new studio course, World Architecture and Plan-
ning, started in the autumn of 2000 and adopted the
theme of City in Crisis. The objective was to create an
understanding of the dynamics of urbanisation and of
global issues in urban policies though lectures, seminars
and exercises. For the first six years of the new studio
a two-week field work period in Benin for a group of
10-15 students of different disciplines and nationalities
was organised. The base during the field work was the
Finnish cultural centre Villa Karo at Grand Popo. The
first field mission in 2001 documented and analyzed the
town of Grand Popo and its built environment whereas,
the following year, the fishing harbour and the working
and living conditions of the fishermen and their families,
was chosen as the main subject for study. Later field trips
were devoted to the revitalization and urban renewal of
the Old Gbecon, the dilapidated colonial commercial
centre of Grand Popo, as well as on the creation of a
new civic centre or “heart” to serve the daily life of the
inhabitants of Grand Popo, in search for identity and
new sense of place. The field work during 2004 – 2006
covered housing problems, various urban design issues as
well as alternatives for a centre for local women’s associa-
tions. One group of students studied tourism, one of the
key sectors of development in Grand Popo, and students
also studied the conditions of Togolese refugees in Benin
at Agamé and produced general improvement ideas for
refugee camps.
The projects of the previous year were always presented
to the representatives of the local community during the
following visit. The presentations were usually followed
by lively discussions, and the reports as well as CD-
ROM versions of it were handed over to the municipal-
ity for their free use. It is important to emphasize that
a university is primarily involved in teaching, not the
implementation of development projects. However, if
viable projects are identified, financing can be sought on
the basis of proposals prepared through student work.
The Mayor of Grand Popo, Mr Eugène Kpade saw
this clearly. In his view our primary interests were: (i)
enculturation of our students, (ii) the academic work of a
university, and (iii) identification of projects. He pointed
out that ideas presented in the students’ projects should
be seen as an output which could be used and further
developed by the local community; “We need dreams”.
After six years in Grand Popo and Benin, it was, how-
ever, felt that a change was called for. A total of ten years
of going to Africa made us now look east. Helsinki Uni-
versity of Technology, and particularly its Water Labora-
tory, has had connections with projects in the Mekong
delta for some years now. We also found out that one
of the alumni of the Interplay of Cultures course, Ms
Land
City
1 Cover HOVILA
2 Participants
3 Contents
4 Foreword KJISIK, KALANJE&VASKO
PROJECTS
6 Intro NAEDER
8 TranCities AALTONEN, HOVILA, NEADER
38 Vision Chakhtomuk GOMEZ AGUDELO, HARSIA,
TOVAR NUEZ, VIRKKALA
66 Boeung Kak 4 Corners GONDON, HERRADOR, LLEDÓ,
TRUEMAN
88 Phom 4 Community MATO SABAT, SIMON BAULENAS,
SCOTT, YANG
PHNOM PENH SEEN THROUGH OUR EYES
110 Intro AALTONEN
111 Squatting
112 Hammocks
114 Donators
116 Streetlife
118 Kids
120 Toilets
122 Nightlife
Sara Hultén, a participant in the very first field trip to
Senegal, now ran a busy architectural practice in Phnom
Penh. The historical treasures of Cambodia undeniably
also played a part in the decision to consider Phnom
Penh as the new venue for the studio and thus the first
group of students travelled to Cambodia at the end of
February 2008.
The timing of the trip was excellent. The School of Ar-
chitecture of the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA)
was organising a workshop under the theme “Designing
with people” together with the very active local non-
governmental organisation STT (Sahmakum Teang
Tnaut – Housing Rights Task Force) just as the sixteen
students from six different European countries arrived
with their teachers. Thus, after the first few days of their
stay, the students were already well versed with issues
such as eviction threats, informal settlements, margina-
lised communities, land sharing, serviced-site schemes,
relocations and upgrading. All had personally visited
examples of sites where the population was living under
continuous threat of eviction, as well as relocation sites of
all possible categories.
The work continued efficiently, largely because of the
continuing involvement and help of the staff of the two
NGOs, STT and UPDF (Urban Poor Development
Fund), and also because of the relentless work of our
other collaborators, which made it possible for us to have
discussions with such relevant and diverse personalities
as the Vice Governor of Phnom Penh (with the unenvi-
able job of being in charge of planning, development
and poverty alleviation) and designers working on major
private sector development projects.
The second field trip to Cambodia in 2009, just as the
previous one, started with a visit to the temples of Ang-
kor. In addition we cruised on the Tonlé Sap, visited the
floating village of Chong Kneas and the flooded forests
around the wonderful village of Kompong Phhluk. Once
in Phnom Penh, Khmer Architecture Tours provided us
with a great opportunity to get to know the historical
sights of Phnom Penh itself, and particularly the work of
Vann Molyvann and other pioneers of the golden era of
modern Khmer architecture of the 1950s and 1960s.
Again in 2009, RUFA and STT responded to our call
with another workshop, now concentrating on hous-
ing rights and largely focusing on the theme “Save the
Lake”. The project which is based on the ongoing filling
in of Boeung Kak Lake in the centre of Phnom Penh
has become a symbol of many large speculative ventures
financed by investors from abroad. These provide an
excellent forum for continuous discussion and scope for
a multitude of alternative projects which perhaps can
address the problems in a manner that is fairer to the
ordinary man of the street. The conflict between the need
for continuous economic growth and increased com-
petitiveness on the one hand, and the basic needs of the
Lake
Community
3
ARCHIVE - PROJECTS 2008
124 Some thoughts about development CARLOS LAMUELA
ORTA&MILLA NUMMIKOSKI
126 Bassac MILLA NUMMIKOSKI, SINIKKA WASASTJERNA,
CARLOS LAMUELA ORTA, ANNI REINIKAINEN, ROBIN
MASSOLA
130 Boeung Kak MARCELO GUTIERREZ, MONICA GASSIOT
MELIAN, OLIVIERO PIFFARETTI, EVA SOLLGRUBER, ILKKA
TÖRMÄ
136 Trapang CropIGNACIO ATIENZA, WILLEM ANNE VAN
BOLDEREN, DANIELA GROTENFELT, MIKAELA NEUVO,
ALBERTO QUINONES
PHNOM PENH PEOPLE
140 Intro AALTONEN
141 Lida
142 Taxi Driver
143 Phalla
144 Sokly
146 Nora
148 Phatly
150 Yara
151 Hang
152 Somphors
154 Persons Met
156 Field Trip Programme
less privileged on the other, is of course not peculiar to
Phnom Penh. The relative accessibility of the authorities
in charge, together with the exceptionally active NGOs,
makes it, however, at this moment, an ideal venue to
study these phenomena which lie in the very centre of
the raison d’être of our studio course.
We would like to thank everyone who gave us their
support during our stay. We do not especially like to
single out particular individuals but feel that we have to
mention everyone at STT (particularly Meas Kimseng,
Hallam Goad and Nora Lindström), and everyone at
RUFA. Kong Kosal, Yam Sokly, Somethearith Din as
well as Sara and Frida Hultén should be mentioned for
all the help and assistance they have given to make our
visits such resounding successes. We would like to extend
our special appreciation to Mr Mann Chheurn, the Vice
Governor of Phnom Penh, who has found the time to
talk to us during both our visits, as well as to the newly
elected Rector of RUFA, Dr Bong Sovath. A list of per-
sons met is annexed – all those mentioned also deserve
our most heartfelt thanks.
The time during the field trip is necessarily spent in
learning, observing the local realities and collecting
information. Meanwhile the subjects are defined and
gradually formulated into “real” projects. The actual
design work that results in finalised plans and reports is
performed in Finland after the field trip and eventually
presented, exhibited and published at the Department
of Architecture at the end of the spring term, usually
around mid-May. This document constitutes the synthe-
sis of the two first years of work in Phnom Penh and is
5
based on certain assumptions. In spite of us having been
lucky in finding such excellent collaborators and having
been so well received on all levels, we cannot pretend to
have had more than a fleeting glimpse of everything that
is going on in the city. That is why the ideas and senti-
ments expressed in this book should also be seen as what
they are; learning exercises by western students who,
mostly for the first time in their lives, visit the region
and touch upon issues that affect the lives of millions of
people around the globe. These are “snapshots”, impres-
sions which may contain terminological and other inac-
curacies, as well as opinions that do not necessarily reflect
the views expressed by our collaborators in Phnom Penh.
In order to put our ideas on paper we have had to make
certain assumptions. An important one relates to the
fate of Boeung Kak Lake. For the purpose of our student
projects we have presumed that the process will be
reversed and the lake will remain. Even if machines at
the moment are working incessantly to fill in the lake,
our assumption can be justified on the basis that on the
current master plan for the city (“Phnom Penh 2025”),
the lake still exists.
Helsinki May 2009

Claustrophobic feeling in Tuol Sleng S21
Men and Women as a worker force in Council of Ministry construction site
6 cabulary in opposition to that of the existing city.
Community frame or no man’s land ?
boeung kak lake house or its remains ...
Land
City
8 9
PROJECTS 2009
Introduction
...
Phnom Penh is a mix of urban landscapes with strong
social realities: Buddhist, Khmer Monarchy, Colonial and
those from the Khmer Rouge era.
The society is changing fast and seems to want to break
with its most recent past and move past its wounds which
are still evident in the city fabric. Phnom Penh is being
rapidly reconstructed and the people who are in charge
seem to have the desire to follow in the footsteps of cities
of the Occident world. Their goal seems to be the chang-
ing of the urban landscape with the construction of high
rise buildings and the adoption of a new architectural vo-
The city also has to deal with a rapid population growth
that expands its borders which then consequently brings
up the issue of land use.
How to organise the growing city?
Phnom Penh is divided between attractive projects funded
by local and foreign investments and poor communities
living in areas which can be referred to as “communities
under threat of unvoluntary relocation”. These communi-
ties are entitled to compensation if they agree to move to
a specified relocation. However the compensation offered
is normally insufficient for families to obtain comparable
alternative housing and meet their daily living costs.
On the other hand, if they resist, the community can be
forcibly evicted, often after being harassed by people who
block access to the area and pull down houses. Once they
are evicted and relocated, these communities loose a sig-
nificant part of their past, their history. Access to work
opportunities also becomes very limited because of the
distance of the new locations to the city. Furthermore,
when they are moved, little is done to improve their qual-
ity of life or to protect the environment and themselves
from all the waste they produce. Housing at the relocation
sites is often inadequate with poor infrastructure and a
lack of basic amenities such as fresh water. Unvoluntary
relocation is part of the problem of security for these com-
munities and reflects on the respect for Cambodian law
and Cambodia’s international human rights obligation.
Lake
Community
King’s Village: A housing project intended for the “poor-
est of the poor”, financed by the King himself, finished in
2008, and still awaiting its residents.
Boeung kak lake enemy
On February 2007, the Municipality of Phnom Penh en-
tered into a 99-year lease for US$79 million with a private
developer, Shukaku Inc, for 133 hectares which included
the Boueng Kak Lake and the surrounding land. The lake
is situated in the middle of the city, and according to the
developers it will be turned into a “pleasant, trade, and ser-
vice places for domestic and foreign tourists”. The filling
of the lake began in August 2008 and the aim is to reduce
the surface area of the lake by 90%. The impact of this will
be huge. 4000 families will have to be evicted, leading to
importance of a glass of water
the disappearance of vernacular stilt houses, a significant
source of living and way of life will be destroyed and the
landscape of the city will be greatly transformed. 7
The time we spent in Phnom Penh allowed us to witness
these processes of the transformation of the city on the
urban scale as well as on the human scale. Of all the dif-
ferent places and communities that we visited there, the
future of Boeung Kak Lake became of special interest
to us. We asked ourselves, how was it possible to let this
thing happen? Because this question was and still is in
everyone’s mind, we decided to set up teams which would
study deeply other alternatives for the lake which would
show that it is possible to have a different future for the
lake which is more equitable and sustainable, continuing
on the studies made with STT and the local students dur-
existing but unused railway system
ing our stay.
Based on our experiences and observations we chose four
topics for further studies: transportation, waste manage-
ment, water and green areas, and security and human
rights. We were of the opinion that these topics have im-
pacts at different scales and on each other. In order to try
and address the issues raised before, we decided to divide
our project into four scales: Cambodia and the region it is
in, Phnom Penh and its surrounding, Boeung Kak Lake as
an object in the city and one community on the lake shore.
This approach is the framework that led us to focus more
on the infrastructure rather than try to provide a more
architectural solution.
Alexandre Naeder
Is it a place for a horse to eat ?
TRANCITIES NETWORK
NOORA AALTONEN
ALEXANDRE NAEDER
SISKO HOVILA
 CAMBODIA GLOBAL GROUP: EXAMPLES OF EXISTING INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION
AND FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATIONS ON THE AREA:

- An Association of Southeast Asian Nation

(ASEAN)
Consists of 10 different countries: Brunei
Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam. With programs like
Trans Asian Railway Network and Asian
Highway, it is improving large scale connec-
tions inside Southeast Asia and with the rest
of the world. It has however been criticized on
being big on words but small on actions. (1)
- Mekong River Commission (MRC)
Comprehends Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam
and Thailand with China and Myanmar being
dialogue partners. The MRC works as a natu-
ral resource planning advisor to its member
governments. A common thread of its work
being the facilitation of agreements between
the four member countries, carrying out sur-
veys and collecting data of mainly water and
related recources.(2)
- Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)
This programme of subregional economic

TRANCITIES cooperation was formed 1992 among the same

six countries as in the MRC. They have cre-
ated three “economic corridors” that criss-cross

10South-East Asian co-opera- in between cities to lift the rural popula-

tion to be updated
The countries on the South East Asian peninsula -
Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam - share a
lot in culture and language. Though they share the same
history, they were looking at it from different angles. This
has had an effect not only their different governmental
policies but also on the level of development they have
today, which is far from being alike.
It is the Cambodia Global Group opinion that help and
co-operation in advantaging their various potential and
resources should overcome these differencies and other
competitive forces. These nations could ease people flows
and combine material flows; They could exchange raw
materials for refinement and jointly encourage the estab-
lishment of industries that are lacking to employ their
professionals as well as the rest of the citizens.
tions out of poverty, while recognizing the 11
threads for biodiversity and links to natural
recources. The GMS works under the Asian
Development Bank which is also coordinat-
ing, providing loans and cofinancing the GMS
projects. WWF is co-operating in some of
their programmes as well.(3)
- Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (CLV) Devel-
opment Triangle
A Collaboration Triangle of Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam is working on the acceleration
of economic growth, poverty reduction, social
and cultural progress as the youngest consor-
tium on the area. They seem to be working
closely with ASEAN and concider trade and
foreign investment to be of great significance.
They bring up agriculture and rural develop-
ment on their 7 point list of concentration
areas since “the rate of population in poverty
among rural areas is higher than among urban
areas in the CLV”.(4)
SOURCES: (1) BBC NEWS 11. JAN 2007 (2) MRCMEKONG.ORG (3)
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK; ADB.ORG/GMS (4)(5) MINISTRY
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN; MOFA.GO.JP
FIGURE 1: ETHNIC MAP. COUNTRIES ON THE PENINSULA SHARE A LOT IN
CULTURE AND LANGUAGE.

Inhabitants Thailand Cambodia Vietnam Laos

in total 63 000 000 14 000 000 84 403 000 6 000 000

“...the
“...the level
levelofofdevelopment
developmentthey they
have today,
have which
to-
in capitals 6 355 144 1 325 681 3 082 800 287 000

GDP (PPP) millions of USD 570,1 29, 24 251,8 11,280

is far from being alike.”
day, which is far from being alike.” - per capita 8700 2100 3000 1700

Agriculture % 42,6 35 20,9 51

Services % 37.1 35 38,1 27
Industry % 20.2 30 41 22

TIN, RUBBER, NATURAL OIL AND GAS, TIMBER, PHOSPHATES, COAL, TIMBER, HYDROPOWER,
GAS, TUNGSTEN, GEMSTONES, IRON MANGANESE, BAUXITE, GYPSUM, TIN, GOLD,
TANTALUM, TIMBER, ORE, MANGANESE, CHROMATE, OFFSHORE GEMSTONES
Natural resources LEAD, FISH, GYPSUM, PHOSPHATES, OIL AND GAS DEPOSITS,
LIGNITE, FLUORITE, HYDROPOWER FORESTS, HYDROPOWER
ARABLE LAND POTENTIAL

TEXTILES AND CLOTHING, TIMBER, CRUDE OIL, MARINE WOOD PRODUCTS,

FOOTWEAR, FISHERY RUBBER, RICE, FISH, PRODUCTS,RICE,COFFEE, COFFEE, ELECTRICITY,
PRODUCTS, RICE, TOBACCO, FOOTWEAR RUBBER,TEA,GARMENTS, TIN, COPPER, GOLD
Export RUBBER,JEWELRY, SHOES
AUTOMOBILES,
COMPUTERS
AND ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES
12 US 12.6%, JAPAN 11.9%, US 58.1%, GERMANY US 20.8%, JAPAN 12.5%, THAILAND 32.7%,
13
CHINA 9.7%, SINGAPORE 7.3%, UK 5.2 %, CANADA AUSTRALIA 7.3%, CHINA VIETNAM 14.3%, CHINA
Export partners 6.3%, HONG KONG 5.7%, 4.6%, VIETNAM 4.5% 6.9%, SINGAPORE 4.5% 5.9%, SOUTH KOREA
MALAYSIA 5.1% (2007) (2007) (2007) 4.8% (2007

CAPITAL GOODS, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, MACHINERY AND MACHINERY AND

INTERMEDIATE GOODS CIGARETTES, GOLD, EQUIPMENT, EQUIPMENT, VEHICLES,
Import AND RAW MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, FUEL, CONSUMER
CONSUMER GOODS, MATERIALS, MACHINERY, FERTILIZER, STEEL GOODS
FUELS MOTOR VEHICLES, PRODUCTS, RAW
PHARMACEUTICAL COTTON, GRAIN,
PRODUCTS CEMENT, MOTORCYCLES
OT

Import partners JAPAN 20.3%, CHINA THAILAND 23.1%, CHINA 19.9%, THAILAND 68.5%, CHINA
11.6%, US 6.8%, VIETNAM 16.9%, CHINA SINGAPORE 12.1%, 9.3%, VIETNAM 5.5%
MALAYSIA 6.2%, UAE 15%, HONG KONG TAIWAN 11%, JAPAN (2007
4.9%, SINGAPORE 4.5%, 10.4%, SINGAPORE 9.9%, SOUTH KOREA
TAIWAN 4.1% (2007) 7.5%, TAIWAN 7.2%, 8.5%, THAILAND 6%
SOUTH KOREA 4.8% (2007) FIGURE 2: ECONOMIC FIGURES.
(2007)

FIGURE 2: ECONOMIC FIGURES.

“These nationns could ease people flows and combine material flows;
14...they 15
could exchange
raw materials
for refinement
and
encourage
the establishment
of industries
that are lacking
to employ
their citizens.” FIGURE 3: CAMBODIAS EXPORT AND IMPORT PARTNERS RESEMBLE THAT OF LAOS´S AND VIETNAMS.

Growth of cities is a fact.

16 17

FIGURE 4: GROWTH FIGURES.

FIGURE 5: POPULATION AGE AND ECUACATIONAL FIGURES.

Cities are countries breweries: They tend to have the largest ppopulation, most of the infrastructure and industry;
they are entertaining and social. All this makes them siggnificant magnets. It is no wonder cities have begun to
overcome nations in decision making with their influenc ce reaching over continents, and even worldwide.
 Cities are the antennas of a country. Having a constant conne ection to the outer world and transmitting information,
they also link the rural areas to the larger scale.
FIGURE 7: CITIES AS ANTENNAS. MAPS OF PLANNED TRANS ASIAN HIGH-
WAY AND RAILWAY NETWORKS CONNECTING CITIES.

18 19

As cities are very sensitive to changes, they need coop-
eration in order to be ready to balance with them: For
example, social unrest in a city can cause masses of tour-
ists to change their destination to another they might see
as “equivalent”.
With the following list of issues in cities in South East
Asian Peninsula Cambodia Global group would like to
point out that it is not healthy for singe capital to sup-
port a whole nation.
1 Land policy: International companies entering cities,
winning the competition with individuals and families
over plots of land because they are financially stronger
2 Traffic jam of people
3 Lack of infrastructure and social care
4 Increasing need of transportation of food and other
sources
5 Uncertainty in the level of mental well-being of people
beacuse of stress caused by lack of infrastucture, social
care etc.
6 Mekong river: Any proposed harnessing of the energy
potential of the river needs to be deeply studied and
considered by local scientists, with specialists of wide
experience from experiments executed elsewhere. No one
wants to see the cities (Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom
Penh, Siem Reap as the biggest ones), nor the rural areas,
with the tightest bonds to the backbone of the whole
peninsula ending up with the Nile of Egypt -kind of
situation.*
7 Global concerns: The cities will have to find original
ways for not getting drawn down by global downturns.
Working together to avoid, to reduce and to adapt to
changes of the climate. (Sea level rise, for instance, would
have a straight impact on many of the major cities like
Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh.(2))
Furthermore, the city with the most well-preserved his-
tory bits or the city with a vibrant and original culture
life might be some other of the cities in a country, and
a totally different one has the biggest harbour, can offer
nice housing by the sea with sailor culture and is also
where exotic influences overseas will arrive first.
However, for the citizens for whom moving to the city is
just the less difficult way to get a living, the cities should
be able to provide humane conditions.
*Egypt is now using 70% of the energy generated with
Nile hydropower to produce fertilizers for the decayed
soils of the previously fruity river valley.

Instead of adding to the list of nationwide unions we TRANCITIES - A UNION OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN
therefore propose CITIES which will strengthen cooperation among the
cities and contribute to democratic, social, economic and
environmentally friendly development. TranCities will
also be an investment for the future: Threads can be rec-
ognised and avoided if they start working together now.
ORGANIZATION
that the cities already have. The hubs would then create
wider networks: The Trade Square, The Culture Square
and The Nature Belt, all linking various cities.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE
TranCities will provide a channel to inform people of
on-going issues and professionals of various sectors to
exchange their experiences and to increase work oppor-
To encourage academic students to go study in a
neighbouring country, the existing universities on the
peninsula area could unify their administration.
PROUD CITIES
The purpose is not to make the member cities similar,
but by growing the knowledge of the area native to its
citizens, strengthen their unique cultures and heritage.

TranCities By sharing decision making and subdividing power

TranCities will reduce the influence of dictators and
prevalence of corruption. TranCities is not, however,
merely about good governance but more.
Inside TranCities a city from each country would be
named as a hub of trade, a hub of history and a hub of
nature based on the characteristics and points of strength
tunities. One essential purpose of the Trancities will be
to invest on educating youngsters into a Generation of
Change and Awareness. TranCities could have a founda-
tion to support establishment of vocational schools and
to offer scholarships to enable student exchange. This will
be another step towards the goal of education as a right
for all citizens in the region.
TranCities will increase the member cities` international
credibility with its transparent policies and visibility in
overall to increase tourism.
In the future the Union might consider enlargening to
encompass more cities in these four countries as well
as those of neighbouring countries, like Singapore and
Yangon in Myanmar.

A network of 17 cities on the South East Asian Peninsula.

PHNOM PENNH HUE

CHINA
1 : 11 :
Capital of Cambodia Former capital of Vietnam

R
Luang
VIET NAM
AM
Halong Bay
Hai Phong
BATTAMBANNG -
2-3 12 DALAT :
Hillstation to the Central Highlands of Vietnam
LLAOLuang
PDR
SIEM REAP
Namtha

20 21
HO CHI
Chiang Rai Prabang
: Form mer capital of Cambodia - Angkor Wat Temples
13

SIHANOUKVVILLE
Vientiane

MINH CITY
Chiang Mai

Savannakhet
4 :
Important port city, plans to start an airport to beco ome countrys busiest airport(4) :
Biggest city in Vietnam, a center for the Mekong Delta

VIENTIANE
Hue

THAILAND
Nakhon
5 : C Capital of Lao PDR
14 BANGKOK :

LUANG PRAABANG
Ratchasima
Capital of Thailand
Bangkok

CHIANG MAI -
6 :
CAMBODIA Leading Eco-tourism city in Laos
Battambang Siem Reap
15-16

Phnom Penh

Sihanoukville
Dalat

Ho Chi Minh City

7 LUANG NAM
MTHA
A center to an ethnicly abundant region of Lao PD R
:
CHIANG RAI :
Famous nature and adventure travel spots

8 SAVANNAKHHET
One of the biggest port cities along River Mekong
:
NAKHON
17

9-10 HANOI - HAAI PHONG

Capital of Vietnam - A city next to a world famous nature spot, Halong Bay
: RATCHASIMA
A center to the culture and ethnic region of Thailand
:

FIGURE 8: CULTURE SQUARE, TRADE SQUARE AND THE NATURE BELT.

MALAYSIA
 TranCities CONNEECTING MEKONG IS THE
LOOCALS, ONLY REAL
TOUURISTS, MEKONG RIVER BORDER
JOBS, TO CROSS
EDUCAATION...
CHINA

VIET NAM
MYANMAR Hanoi
Halong Bay
HANOI
Halong Bay Luang
Luang Hai Phong
Namtha Hai Phong NamthaLAOLuang
PDR
Luang
Prabang Chiang Rai Prabang
Chiang Rai

Vientiane
Vientiane Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai

22 The Cambodia Global group would like to point out the

following immediate POSSIBILITIES:
1 Joint agreenments on land policies(to include those of
YANGON Savanna akhet Hue Savannakhet Hue 23
encompassing forest areas) THAILAND
Nakhon Nakhon
2 Improving of transportation routes from city to city Ratchasima Ratchasima
3 Mekong river to be accounted as a route/bridge/source
of life Bangkok
Bangkok
4 Joint happenings CAMBODIA
Battambang Siem Reap
5 Network of knowledge and experience Siem Reap
Battambang
6 Suburban eco-tourism and agriculture
Dalat Dalat
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Ho Chi Minh City
Sihanoukville Sihanoukville

Ho Chi Minh City

POR RT
AIR RPORT
HIG GHWAY
BRI DGE MISSING
EXISTING DAM
RAI LWAY
DAM UNDER CONSTRUCTION
RAI LWAY PLANNED/UNDER
CON NSTRUCTION PLANNED DAM
ME KONG RIVER MALAYSIA MISSING BRIDGE

PRO OPOSED ADDINGS MEKONG BASIN

FIGURE 9: MEKONG BASIN AND PLANNED DAMS.
FIGURE 10: LOGISTICAL NETWORK ZOOM - EXISTING, PLANNED (BY ASEAN)
AND PROPOSED (BY CAMBODIA GLOBAL).

SINGAPORE

TranCities

NATURE BELT Sensitize everyone to Natuure issues and Human impact

Protected Areas Deforestation, pollution, erosion are serious environ-
mental issues. Asian governments have joined forces in Wildlife Trade TranCities will work to reduce the trade in wildlife in
the region to sustainable levels and will thus provide a
framework supporting the organisations dealing with
order to reduce these problems. One of the answers is
the creation of Protected Areas. Forests are shrinking in this topic. Every city will be responsible for the protec-
size due to increasing access to these areas and the ex- tion and maintenance of its Protected Area and control
pansion of commercial agriculture areas. This environ- of the flow of people going to visit these natural and
mental awareness started during the 1960s in Thailand sensitive areas.
and Vietnam and during the 1990s in Cambodia and
Laos. Illegal wildlife trade totals billions of dollars a year:
Growing demand-porous borders and the lure of big
money make it a very lucrative business. The animals
involved in the trade end up as trophies or in speciality
restaurants or are used in traditional medicines. Many
species are disappearing. The problem is exacerbated
by Asia’s rising living standards and rapidly growing
population. Forests are unguarded banks where every-
thing has a value and everything can be sold.

24 25

CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE

IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA

CITES is an international agreement to which States

(countries) adhere voluntarily. First formed in the
1960s, its aim is to ensure that international trade
in specimens of wild animals and plants does not
threaten their survival. States that have agreed to
be bound by the Convention (‘joined’ CITES) are
known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding
on the Parties – in other words they have to imple-
ment the Convention – it does not take the place of
national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be
respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own
domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is imple-
mented at the national level.
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam are one
of the parties of CITES
SOURCES: WWW.CITES.ORG
 VIET NAM
MAR Hanoi
Halong Bay
TranCities Luang
LAOS
Namtha Hai Phong
Luang
Prabang

Suburban agriculture Chiang Rai

Vientiane
Chiang
Ch Mai
Nature Belt
T TranCities will support the creation of a sustainable All this will require infrastructure such as: roads, irriga-
farm network in suburban regions of each city. These net- tion networks, improved water quality, recycling of regen- Savannakhet
works will feed the citizens of the growing cities with the erated water and establishment of a farmers’ association Hue

intention of reducing the need for transportation between to manage the areas and to define what will be cultivated THAILAND
ILAND
the agricultural areas and the consumers. This will also re- and where. Educational programmes will be introduced Nakhon
duce emissions as well. by the creation of schools teaching efficient production City Ratchasima
TransCities will provide a framework providing solutions methods that respect the environment and encourage the
for the preservation, development and management of modernization of farms while respecting traditional ways Bangkok
CAMBODIA
these agricultural areas beginning with defining a loca- of farming.
Battambang Siem Reap
tion for these areas around the cities. This kind of land use Arboretums of traditional varieties of fruits and vegeta- Farm
planning will not only help in protecting forest areas but bles will be created. These will be open to the public and Dalat
prevent the spread of new farm lands as well. It will also serve as information centres. Phnom Penh
guarantee that these are established in unpolluted areas. Farms system
Ho Chi Minh City
Sihanoukville

26 27

TranCities
 




ECO-Tourism


  

NATURE BELT cities will provide ecotourism models

for those who are aware of environmental issues. They will Halong Bay
Luang
facilitate easy access to trips to national parks and pro- Namtha Hai Phong

tected landscapes where exceptional biodiversity can be

Chiang Rai
discovered. Tourists will get an exceptional experience by
living with locals who will not only welcome these visitors
but open their cultures to them. Ecotourism will support Chiang Mai

the sustainable development of rural areas as well as help

conserve the Protected Areas, all of which will be linked
to the nearest city.  

28 29
Dalat

Sihanoukville
 


 



 
 CULTURAL SQUARE EXAMPLES OF EXISTING INTERNATIONAL AND
LOCAL HAPPENINGS ON THE AREA:
TRANCITY SQUARE
- your voice
TranCity square is a place of gathering.
Culture in the cities It is a square of festivals, happenings and
markets. VIENTIANE - LUANG PRABANG
TranCity is supporting existing happenings
Cambodia and organizing new international festivals to
- ‘Love and Relationships’: Film
festival in Cambodia addresses HIV promote local culture and introduce modern
prevention, Phnom Penh. (1) South East Asian artforms to the world.
- Outdoor Film Festival Cambofest, City spots: HUE
NAKHON RATCHASIMA
Siem Reap(2) - People’s Wall- Free art space
‘LOVE AND RELATIONSHIP’ FILM
- Your Voice Square (demonstration square)
FESTIVAL(1)
Thailand BATTAMBANG - SIEM REAP
- Wimaya Nattakan Light-and-
Sound Show- Nakhon Ratchasima TRANCITY FESTIVALS
- International Festival of Dance and
Music, Bangkok 1. International Movie Festival
- International Balloon Festival, - The festival would be organised in the
Ayothaya cultural capitals but it can travel overseas as
INTERNATIONAL DANCE AND (6)
- World Comedy Film Festival, well.
WIMAYA NATTAKAN(4)
MUSIC FESTIVAL(5) Bangkok(3) 2. Dancing on the Street
- The festival starts from the TranCity square
Vietnam and afterwards spreads all over the city. Cars
- Wrestling Festival in Lieu Doi,
Nam Ha have to give in to the dancing people.
- Lim Festival, Ha Bac. Festival of 3. International Rock/Alternative Music
folk songs (7) Festival
- Promotes young musicians of the area
LIM FESTIVAL (8) WRESTLING FESTIVAL(9)
4. International South East Asian Film
Laos Festival
In Laos, there is a traditional festival 5. Literature Festival
or a major holiday almost every - It is promoting young local writers and col-
30 month.
- Boun Khoun Khao - A harvest
festival celebrated at local temples
lecting founds for educating illiterate adults. 31
and wats (10)
SONGKRAN WATER FESTIVAL(11) A HARVEST FESTIVAL(10)

TRADITIONAL HAPPENINGS
- Water Festival
- Tet Festival
- Childrens day
- Buffalo racing
- Boat Racing festival
- The Vixakha Bouxa / The Visakha
WATER FESTIVAL, CHILDRENS FESTIVAL, TET FESTIVAL VIETNAM(14)
THAILAND(12) CAMBODIA(13)
Bouxa

SOURCES: (1) UNESCO CAMBODIA (2) BLOG.

Half of the worlds population lives in cities. Cities of OPENAIRCINEMA.US (3) HTTP://WWW.THAI-
today are growing. Many of the cities have good living LANDGRANDFESTIVAL.COM/CALENDAR.ASP (4)
WWW.SPEAKINGTHAI.COM (5)WWW.NATION-
conditions to offer to millions. How millions of people MULTIMEDIA.COM (6) WWW.THAILANDWORLD-
can live together and feel united? COMEDYFILM.COM (7) WWW.VIETVENTURES.
COM (8) WWW.ANGELFIRE.COM/MT/HONGNAM/
Cities have to be more than just places for everyday LIMFESTIVAL.HTML (9) WWW.ASIAKINGTRAVEL.
obligations. COM/VIETNAM/FESTIVALS (10) HTTP://EX-
PLOREMEKONG.ORG/RESPONSIBLE/LAOS (11)
Cities have to have soul. WEIRDNEWS.ABOUT.COM (12) TRAVEL.NYTIMES.
COM (13) WWW.FRIENDSOFCCH.ORG (14) WWW.
VENUEVIETNAM.COM

TranCities

Culture as an amplifying fac ctor between country relationships

TRANCITY WALL
GREENPIX - ZERO ENERGY MEDIA WALL IN ART MATTERS - ART OF SURVIVAL - CAMBODIA
BEIJING. THE LED WALL IS POWERED BY
THOUSANDS OF PHOTOVALTAIC CAPTURE
CELLS.
TranCity walls are elements located in all TranCities -
They indicate membership. It’s the place where people
can feel their abherence to the union. Behind the thought
of building common targets of identifying is the will to
strengthen the pride of the citizens.

Trancity wall is an information forum between the cities.

It is a screen wall that uses solar power to get its energy.
In every city there is also a camera connected to the wall.
The camera enables live connection between the citizens
in all the cities. ‘Nasy Radet thinks her talent is natural ‘An ART AUCTION will be held to SOURCES: (1 ) PHNOM PENH POST
ARTICLE: CAMBODIAN ARTIST CRE-
Different municipal servants from TranCities can have and may have been inherited from her raise funds for The Rubbish Project’s ATES LOVE AND PEACE ,THURSDAY,
seminars there and organise open meetings through the 30 APRIL 2009(2) HTTP://WWW.
mother, who is also an artist. However, Queen Naga installation to be built in THERUBBISHPROJECT.BLOGSPOT.
wall. COM/
Thanks to the walls people get power to affect the society
despite the family lineage, she doesn’t wish the Siem Reap River on World Water
around. THE ZERO ENERGY MEDIA WALL
to be an artist forever - only as long as she Day - March 22nd’ (2)
DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED BY is able to use her artwork to help
SIMONE GIOSTRA & PARTNERS, A
NEW YORK-BASED OFFICE, WITH Cambodia’s rural poor’(1)
LIGHTING DESIGN AND FAÇADE
ENGINEERING BY ARUP IN LON-
DON AND BEIJING.(1)

32 33

free art wall

TRANCITY SQUARE
Information wall

PEOPLE’S WALL -place for happenings

- Free art space, expressing your toughts
Non places - Places of unplanned new activities -
People’s places

Peoples wall is media for expressing yourself. It is for

young artrists to have their first exhibition or citizens to
express their restlessness, happiness or unhappiness.
It is a forum for young, maybe poor, talented people.
TranCities It is working more on grassroots level than TranCity-
screen wall.
SOURCE: (1) HTTP://WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK/SCIENCETECH/ARTI-
CLE-1019173/THE-LARGEST-LED-SCREEN-WORLD-POWERED-SUN.HTML (2)
PICTURES FROM THE COLLAGE PRINCIPAL PLAN FOR TRANCITY SQUARE
 34 35

WALL OFFERS
- LIVE LECTURES BETWEEN
UNIVERCITIES
- MEETINGS BETWEEN MUNICI-
PALITY WORKERS
- MOVIE FESTIVALS
- DAILY INFORMATION SHARING
- VISUAL ART EXHIBITIONS

TranCities Capital titles have

changed owner
over history.
It might become
relevant again in
the future - There
is a need of a
safety net.

Halong Bay
Hanoi
Luang
Namtha Hai Phong
Luang
Prabang
Chiang Rai

36 Chiang Mai
Vientiane

GULF OF TONKIN
37
Savannakhet Hue

Nakhon
Ratchasima

Bangkok

Siem Reap
Battambang

Dalat
Phnom Penh

Ho Chi Minh City

GULF OF THAILAND
Sihanoukville

SOURCES:
(1) POPULATION REFERENCE
BUREAU, WWW.PRB.ORG
(2) TONLE SAP BIOSPHERE RE-
SERVE, WWW.TSBR-ED.ORG
(3) WWW.ANNA.AERO, CAMBODI-
ANONLINE.NET
FIGURE 1: WWW.LIB.UTEXAS.EDU,
WWW.REISENETT.NO/MAP_COL-
LECTION/ASIA.HTML (INDOCHINA
ATLAS 1970)
FIGURE 3: HTTP://WWW.
TRAVELDIR.ORG/IMAGES/WORLD/
WORLD_MAP_POLITICAL.JPG
FIGURE 7: UNITED NATIONS FIGURE 10: COAST LINE AFTER A 12 METER SEA LEVEL RISE.
 Land
City

Lake

Community

38VISION CHAKHTOMUK 39

LAURA GOMEZ AGUDELO

ANDRÉS TOVAR NUEZ
EVELIINA HARSIA
INARI VIRKKALA

4+ Room
PHNOM PENH BASICS Rent free 3,8%
Other 0,9%
3 Room
(11,2%)
(8.4%)

Rented 11,5%
Location: 11°33’N 104°55’E 2 Room 1 Room
Province: Phnom Penh (22.6%) (57.8%)
Subdivisions: 7 Kanhs (districts)
76 Sangkat (communes)
637 Phum (villages)
Municipality 375 km2 Owner occupied 83,8%
City surface 290 km2 DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLDS BY ROOMS
Agriculture 34,7 km2 (1,48 km2 with irrigation) OCCUPIED
PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLDS (AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD 5.5P).
Population
BY TENURE STATUS OF DWELING.
   
Spring, river, stream

Official (urban) 1,242,241 1,043,000 1,000,000

Unprotected well

Estimated population in institution- N.D 54,000 18,000 Pit Latrine

Protected well

al household/homeless Other (3.5%) Other

Bought No toilets
Total estimated 1,325,681 1,097,000 1,018,000
(18.7%) Septic Tank (12.9%)
Density 4,571.1 p/km2 3,783 p/km2 N.D
(25.7%)
Growth (exponential) 2.82% 1,26%
(1998-2008) (1998-2004) Tube/piped well
Piped Water Sewage
Households N.D 193,000 N.D (69.6%) (57.3%)
Average household N.D 5.5 p/house N.D
Sex ratio N.D 91.7% 93.1%
Percentage of female population N.D 52,2% 51,8% SOURCE OF DRNKING WATER TOILET FACILITY

Literacy rate N.D 90% male N.D

40 80% female


Percentage of employed persons by sector The primary sector ( Agriculture, hunting, for-
estry and fishing) is rapidly decreasing around Phnom
Penh. This is due to the growth of the secondary (mining
41


and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas and water
MIGRATION 
supply and construction) and tertiary sector (hotels and

restaurants, transports, business, administration, service
Females Males activities). This phenomena is caused by to combined fac-


Last residence elswhere in 97,6 97,3 Temporary tors: the progressive disappearance of the green areas close
Cambodia (8.2%) 
to Phnom Penh because of the city expansion and a rural
Semi-Permanent exodus attracted by the growth of the last two sectors.
Whithin the province but ouside 45,1 46,6 

the place of Enumeration (7.7%)



 

 

  


Elswhere in the District of 21,4 20,1
Enumeration
In other districts of the province 23,7 26,5
of enumeration Permanent EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYED PERSONS BY


,2%
Provinces in cambodia beyond 52,5 50,7 (84.1%) d 50 MAIN EMPLOYEMENT STATUS, PHNOM PENH 2004


loye
the province of enumeration mp
Une 4.1%
Last residence outside Cambodia 2,4 2,7 

ee 2 .12%
ploy r 18


Em orke
Asia 2,2 2,4 tW r 5.4
%
Paid cco
un
PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF RESIDENTIAL AND 

nA orke
Other 0,2 0,3 % Ow m il yW
PARTLY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING ACCORDING TO


er 0,29 aid
Fa .24% MALE
Number of Migrants (thousand) 376,8 326,4 NATURE OF CONSTRUCTION. ploy Unp er 0
Em Oth FEMALE



1: Cambodian 2008 census preliminary results, Statistics Japan 2-6, Tables 2.2-2.6
2: Cambodia Inter-Censal Population survey 2004 (http://www.phnompenh.gov.kh/english/Departments/D_plan-
ning/CIPS.htm)
 Prampir Meakkakra (urban)
Chamkir Mon (urban)
DEVELOPMENT OF PHNOM PENH CURRENT DENSITY AVERAGE DENSITY
4,571 P/KM2
1372 Wat Phnom Daun Penh - a hill and a temple built Reussei Kaev (rural)
Tuol Kouk (urban) RURAL SANGKATS
1818 Enlargement of the royal court and construction of Doun Penh (urban) 1,385 P/ KM2
new water management channels
~ 1500 1867
~ 10.000 inhabitants URBANSANGATS
23,168P/ KM2
1865 Foundation of the new colonial capital
Mean Cheay (rural)
1875 Enlargement of Phnom Penh southwards along the Denkaev (rural)
Mekong banks.
~ 30.000 inhabitants

1890 Construction of the “modern”colonial city. “Palais”

style architecture and urban planning of six ethnical quar-
1890 1910 ters: Quartier européenne, Quartier chinois, Quartiers
cambodgiennes I, IIQuartier annamite (Vietnamese),
Quartier catholique anciens (Vietnamese, Malay)

1920 -1939 Urban extension westwards and southwards

Phnom Penh: 1,325,000 people
and on the Mekong –TonleSap peninsula. Construction 375m2
of the second ring dyke in the SW –Extend
~ 100.000 inhabitants

1945 -1953 Urban growth due to colonial industrialisa-

1922 1937 tion closing of the second ring dyke in the SW.
> 350.000 inhabitants

42 1954 -1965 Urban enlargement and first (and last) urban

43
four main periods of population growth

planning period of Dr. Vann Molyvann. Internationalism

Period.

1966 -1975 Consolidation of Phnom Penh and popula-

tion growth due to war refugees.
~ 2.000.000 inhabitants
1943 1958
1975 -1979 Khmer Rouge Period of Urban destruction
and evacuation.
50.000 inhabitants

1979 -1989 Civil war and Vietnamese occupation, first

steps of urban rehabilitation

1990 -2003 Urban re-growth and extension due to un-

controllable in-migration
~ 1.400.000 inhabitants
1968 1994
2004 Master Plan for 2020 of the Phnom Penh Munici-
pality.
~ 2.500.000 inhabitants

2009 Development scenario 2050 proposed by the stu-

dents of Helsinki University of Technology
~ 3-7.000.000 inhabitants
Picture sources: http://www.slideshare.net/jpmund/analyzing-urban-
2050 sprawl-using-multi-temporal-and-multi-source-geospatial-data-fusion.
2020
Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme (APUR), Ministère de la Cultrure (1997)

CURRENT SITUATION VS MASTERPLAN 2020 EXISTING 2009

AIRPORT
1:100 000
HARBOUR
SIGHT
HOUSING
PRODUCTION
COMMERCIAL
AGRICULTURE
RECREATION

PHNOM PENH DEVELOPMENT TODAY VS.

2020 MASTERPLAN

Compared to it’s population, the built urban area of

Phnom Penh is relatively small, most of the urban areas
can be fitted within a 5km radius. Out of its seven main
districts (khans) four central ones are ultimately urban
with a density of 23,168 people/km2 while the three rural
ones have 1,385 people/km2. However, with the rapidly
increasing urban population (10 000 new families per
year) urban sprawl is starting to cause a serious problem to
1km the sustainable development of the capital. According to
The National Institute of Statistics, by 2020 Phnom Penh
2km would accomodate nearly 2 000 000 inhabitants, from
2020: which 100 000 would move to the four central khans and
proposed 650 000 to the three rural ones. By 2030, Phnom Penh
44 new centres would have doubled it’s population. 45
Due to bad transportation, livelihood opportunities out-
side the very core of the city are scarce. In order to be able
5km to live near the work opportunities, people are moving to
MASTERPLAN 2020 the inner city and because they are not able to afford the
high rents and land prices, they end up in informal settle-
ments, often in un-human conditions. The municipality
tries to prevent this by “involuntarily relocations” , which
means moving these people to distant relocation sites,
scattered randomly several kilometers from the centre.

10km
In wildest estimations the MUNICIPALITY AREA
population growth rate of 375KM2
Phnom Penh can be up to
4%. If the urban areas are 20%
growing as fast, the whole URBAN
surface would be swal- 62KM2
lowed by construction in
23 years.
2009

2009
200
2
200009
0 2010
201
010 20155 2020
20 2025
2202
0255 2030 2032
 VISIONS DEVELOPMENT VS. SUSTAINABILITY

Before the global recession hit Cambodia in the fall of

GREAT PHNOM PENH VISION 2050

In the west we are now starting to wake up to see the

production. Biogas is produced from the waste to function
as fuel and gas for the transportation system.

2008, land prices in the core of the city were almost as unsustainable way of our living. Our cities are built in a EFFECTIVE TRANSPORT
high as in western capitals. This caused speculation and very polluting and energy-consuming way, often to foreign
abuse, especially when the government is not the most ideals regardless of the local climate. Cambodia does not Transportation in Phnom Penh is completely carbon free.
transparent one (Cambodia is the third most corrupt need to repeat the same mistakes! As the expanding city Public transportation is organized as effective spines and
country in Asia according to a recent survey by Political is being built, it still can choose a better model for the rings of the city. The main stations of the bus system are
and Economical Risk Consultancy PERC). Affluent lease growth! The scenario of 2050 will not only consist of the reachable either by bicycles or by foot and because there
agreements on land are often made with no consideration positive characteristics of the 2020 masterplan, but also are less vehicles on the streets cycling becomes the most
of the original residents nor the environment. Existing out of our vision of the possibilities what Phnom Penh popular means of transportation.
height restrictions have contributed to the building up of could be. What are it’s best characteristics and what could
all open spaces, including parks and lakes. The traditional be developed further? What is Phnom Penh’s potential as URBAN SPINES - COMMUNAL VILLAGES
heigh of buildings in Phnom Penh is 4-5- floors, but vari- a sustainanable city?
ous plans for high rise development exist. The urban structure of the city is based on a system
CHAKTOMUKH REVIVED of urban spines and small secondary centres. Urban
The municipality of Phnom Penh has tried to develop a public centres function as the hearts of the everyday
master plan as a document to steer the urban development Traditional name for Phnom Penh has been Chaktomukh, life. Communal decisions are made transparently and
into a more sustainable direction socially and environ- city of four faces, coming from the unique situation in democratically in grassroots level. The villages form
mentally. The plan proposes four to five satellite towns to the crossing point of the three rivers: Upper and lower secondary and tertiary centres inside the city, and the
cope with the urban sprawl whilst also easing pressure on Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac. The relation between the increased values of properties in their cores are being used
the core and the open spaces. However, several problems rivers and the city is unique and shall be utilised better in to fund construction of infrastructure. High densities
are evident in the plan itself and especially in its imple- transportation, recreation, tourism and general image of keep the prices affordable.
mentation. the city. Phnom Penh swill again reclaim it’s status as “the
pearl of Asia”. GREEN CORRIDORS - URBAN AGRICULTURE
TRANSPORTATION
CRADLE TO CRADLE Between the dense city strips there are parks and green
At the moment no public transportation exists in Phnom spaces left for cultivation and recreational purposes. Food
Penh. The heavy traffic of cars, motorcycles and tuk-tuks The city is functioning in a self sufficient way. Most of is produced near the consumers without the costs and
cause environmental pollution, makes the city an unpleas- the needed consumer products are produced within the pollution caused by transportation.
ant place for the inhabitants and visitors and makes the city limits. All waste is recycled or either used for further
46 people unequal while owning or hiring a motorized ve-
hicle is a necessity for moving in the city. Heavy traffic fills
47
up the pedestrian areas and makes it strenuous to move
by foot or bicycle. In the masterplan of 2020, a grid-like
CHAKTOMUKH VISION 2050
street network has been planned to access the vast subur-
ban housing areas, forcing the residents to rely on private MAIN ISSUES 2009 REALISTIC 2020 SCENARIO 2050
transport.
IDENTITY ABU DHABIZATION ECONOMIC ENGINE CHAKTOMUKH REVIVED
PRODUCTION - ENVIRONMENT
STRUCTURE URBAN SPRAWL URBAN SPINES URBAN VILLAGES
The green areas near the city are being turned into hous-
ing areas at vast speed. The rivers are being polluted, fish- TRANSPORTATION POLLUTION,MOTOS, RAPID BUS TRANSIT CARBON FREE
ing becomes difficult and dangerous. In the outskirts of CARS
the city exist the factories of the cheap labor, as garment
industry is one of Cambodia’s main sources of income. PRODUCTION EXPORT AND IMPORT NEARBY FOOD LOCAL FOOD
Some public waste collection systems exist in the city area PRODUCTION PRODUCTION
but only few in the rural areas. Vast amounts of trash, es-
pecially plastic, still end up in the nature. HOUSING SQUATTING, PUBLIC HOUSING AFFORDABLE
SPECULATION HOUSING
HUMAN RIGHTS
WASTE POOR SYSTEM ORGANISED COLLECTION CRADLE TO CRADLE
Poverty drives people to the main city of Cambodia. When
there are no opportunities to increase your standard of liv- HUMAN RIGHTS UNVOLUNTARY HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION EQUALITY
ing in the countryside, people are driven to cities, espe- RELOCATIONS
MORE VISIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF cially to their cores. The GDP per capita in Phnom Penh
PHNOM PENH is 1140$, three times the national average. Housing rights PRODUCTION GARMENTS, SERVICES LOCAL NEEDS CRADLE TO CRADLE
HTTP://WWW.SKYSCRAPERCITY.COM/ are not respected and even though the local people do feel
SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=648569 relatively safe, there are still problems with crime.

INTERCITY TRANSPORTATION METRO KHMER

After the visit to Phnom Penh we realized that the actual
organization of the transportation has a lot of potential
and can work very well with small changes. There is no
intercity bus station and it generates traffic jams. There
is a complete railway starting from Phnom Penh going
to Sihanoukville and Bangkok but unfortunately it´s not
used for public transportation.

2050: DAILY TRANSPORTATION FROM HOME TO WORK

Rapid bus transportation allows you to change effectively between different bus lines, even if your workplace is on the
other side of the town.

CITIES WHERE BRT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY

48 INTRODUCED IN COMPARISON WITH PHNOM PENH
49

Curitiba is a city situated in the south of Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil, where the BRT (bus rapid transport) was
The main idea of the development of transportation in the city of Phnom Penh is to make successfully first introduced. The population was 500
a new hub for the transportation, a common station for buses and trains. This station thousand people in 1943 when the BRT was introduced.
will be in the city center near the lake in order to make the system effective. The buses The city grew along the way of the buses promoting high
have a predetermined route to have an access without creating or crossing traffics jams density housing areas. The roads combine lanes for buses
in the center. The second part of the development of transport in Phnom Penh is the separated by a gap from the lane of cars. This system
introduction of the system of bus rapid transit. reduces the importance of the downtown because the
day to day activity is developed also along the bus lines.
The new transportation system will reduce traffic in the city, improve connections The result of this system is 30% reduction in the cities
between Phnom Penh and other cities, improve quality of life for the citizens and increase fuel use, compared to other similar and only 10% of a
possibilities for tourism. Transportation by water is encouraged. There would be a new person income being dedicated to transportation.
harbout situated in the crossing of the Mekong and Bassac. Both airport and harbour
are effectively linked to the train and bus networks, forming areas for new employment
possibilities.
 BRT 2010 2020

The bus rapid transit (BRT) system will be used in the

present city and will be extended to the surroundings
guiding the growth of Phnom Penh. In the downtown
there will be streets only for the bus lines enabling the
buses to be faster than other motorised vehicles.

The buses will start from the city center going radially
to the outskirts, making possible the growth of dense
communities around the principal lanes and having urban
cultivation in between the dense areas.

50 2050
51
The BRT is a system of rapid lanes only allowed for buses.
There are different lines with junctions and there are
several stops where buses run frequently. In the beginning
of the BRT it is proposed 3 lines in the city with minivans
every 10 minutes.

From the heart of the city there will be 2 minivans a day

in 8 directions to connect the outskirts to the center. The
transportation from the communities to the bus stop will
be by motorbike.

When the system has settled down (after 5 years) the

principal lines of the city will have minivans every 2
minutes and there will be more lines combining lanes for
buses with lanes for motorbikes. The outskirts lines will
have minivans every hour.

In the future the system will be completed having all the

necessary lines that the city needs using buses instead
of minivans and introducing those minivans to take in
the people from residential places to the bus lines. The
development of the city will be along the lines with dense
housing areas reducing one day travel distances and
improve the sustainability of Phnom Penh.

The tickets are sold in the entry of the stations; with

According to year 2000 statistics the traffic in the streets around the central market is low. There is an opportunity to one ticket it´s possible to do as many transfers as need.
create a pedestrian zone surrounded by large streets that solve the new flow of traffic. This “no cars space” will encourage Secondary buses take in citizens from neighborhoods to
business growth and improve quality of life. the main lines.

COMPARING TRANSPORT MODES TOKYO

TRTA
VIENNA
VOR
Paul Barter and Tamin Raad; Taking steps (03/2000)

BARCELONA
TMB

MEXICO CITY
EL SISTEMA DE TRANSPORTE COLECTIVO
1 km

Transportation as a part of
the identity of a city...
52 A well functioning urbn transportation system can form
an important part of a city’s identity. 53
In most of the cities presented here the metro system is
supported by secondary bus lines. If the city structure of
Phnom Penh evolves following the main cores,the whole
city could be served effectively only by the BRT.

MOSCOW
MOSKOVSKOE METRO

NEW YORK
MTA/PATH

LONDON
http://www.fakeisthenewreal.org/subway/
TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
 CHAKTOMUKH
“four faces” of the waters

WATER

The climatic water conditions of Phnom Penh are highly

dominated by the monsoon season in regards to rainfall.
The most significant water areas are the three rivers (Me-
kong, Tonle Sap, Bassac) that pass the city. There are no
significant differences in elevation or orientation in the
ground.

There are many cultivation areas especially for wetland

plants, lakes, irrigation canals and smaller rivers in the
area. On the southern and northern sides of the city there
are wide wetland areas. Although most of the water areas
have been filled, at the time of writing there is still two
lakes remaining, Boeung Kak and Tra Bek.

1928 PLAN OF PHNOM PENH WHERE FORMERLY
54 EXISTING CANALS ARE VISIBLE DOWNTOWN
The most important water structures built by man in
Phnom Penh are the canal systems planned in the 1920s
and 1930s. The filling of these waterways has lead to con-
ANALYSIS OF THE WATERSHED SYSTEM
55
tamination of the freshwater areas.

There are still several fishing communities in Phnom

Penh area. These communities are situated along the riv-
ers, especially Mekong. Due to overfishing in the freshwa-
ter estuaries fishing is now forbidden in Cambodia during
spawning period. The government has encouraged people
to develop fish cultivation on traditional rice areas, since
fish farming in Phnom Penh has a very uncertain future
due to increasing pollution caused by filling of freshwater
areas.
Water supply and drainage systems in Phnom Penh have
suffered from war, poor management and lack of mainte-
nance over the past decades. The problem has worsened by
the rapid growth of urban population. In the early 1990s
only 30% of population of Phnom Penh had running wa-
ter and the system was corrupt and overpriced. Nowadays
the water supply is relatively well organized in the city
compared to other Asian cities - 90% of the people living
in Phnom Penh have 24h running water. Water supply is
organized by PPWSA (Phnom Penh Water Supply Au-
thority), being the only official water operator in the city.
Main water sources are the three rivers, wherefrom PP-
1937 EXPANSION PLAN OF A GARDEN CITY ON
WSA intakes approximately 180000 m³ water daily.
THE PENINSULA EAST FROM THE CENTRE
PROBLEMS
Some private companies that supply water to
households are pumping it directly from the rivers
and without proper treatment.
There is no treatment for household grey and black
waters - they are lead directly into the rivers or low-
lying water areas. (However there is wastewater
treatment for industrial waters that costs 50-76
US$/m³.)
People are cultivating food in the polluted water
areas.
Interviews in Phnom Penh show that there is no
running water or other adequate water supplies in
the poorest areas of the city, relocation sites and
some district villages.
Smelly and dirty open sewers are a health problem
SOLUTIONS
Water supplies
Urban structures have to be designed in the way that
everybody has the possibility to live near adequate
infrastructure, e.g. no scattered relocation sites
around the city area.
The capacity of PPWSA has to be increased so
that the district areas and villages can have water or
introduction of other water bodies on community
level.
There is a need for affordable water fees that cover
maintenance, extensions of water networks and water
treatment.
In gardens rainwater should be collected and stored
in ponds.

Phnom Penh housing ...

2050 transportation waste/recycling

constant structural planning recycled materials: articles for gardening and parks

biomimicry
e.g. waste from fish cultivation + paper waste =>
covering textiles for gardens

RECYCLING INDUSTRY compost materials

produce mould
“THE GREEN LUNGS” savings in waste treatment from organic waste
less CO2 etc.
WATER+GREEN AREAS OPEN CANAL SYSTEM
local food produce

storing rain water

public parks TRANSPORTATION
from rural areas into the city
WORKS AS BUFFER
ZONES FOR FLOODING WATER TREATMENT
rural areas prevents erosion DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS IN DIFFERENT AREAS
self-sufficient agriculture trees
SANITATION city
preserving cultivation
fields as part of the city
flowers right type of sanitation system m build
in different areas canals in the middle of the big avenues
food cultivation modern
tree cultivation new low tech solutions open places in dense city structure
water basins
cultivating other than food

56 right next to industrial areas or water

treatment plants e.g. palm trees for
hotels
biogas: less firewood
needed for cooking
garden city areas
canal housing
57
modern/traditional housing types
dense, small scale
urban agriculture community gardens
roof teraces bio-fertilizers in
garden city areas rural areas
water plant cultivation
natural shape
garden cities education for traditional housing types
sustainable practises small scale
community cardens
vegetation, fields
traditional housing areas side canals leed water into the fields
advetisement to people
people can grow some oh their
own food them selves
why to use this practises

preserving traditional
way of living in the city
DRINKING WATER
savings in healthcare
current system
made more effective irrigation water for city gardening
water for other domestic use
DECENTRALIZED
WASTE WATER water for cultivation
TREATMENT
free energy
community projects
Angkorian tradition
treatment plants (small units)
biogas for busses
 LARGE

DECENTRALIZED BUILDINGS
AND
BUILDING
CANAL SYSTEMS
WATER TREATMENT COMPLEXES
CAN PARTLY
HAVE THEIR
Biological sanitation systems. OWN BASIC
TREATMENT
Different toilet types for SYSTEMS.

different areas. OWN SYSTEMS

WOULD
IMPROVE THE
IMAGE OF
COMPANIES,
HOTELS AND
HOUSEHOLDS CAN GOVERNMENT
HAVE THEIR OWN BUT ALSO
TREATMENT SYSTEMS. DECREASE THE
WATER FEES.

URBAN COMMUNITIES CAN BE

CONNECTED TO SEWERS BY
CITY SUBDIVISIONS. WASTE IS VILLAGES CAN
TREATED IN TREATMENT OR HAVE THEIR OWN
BIOGAS PLANTS. TREATMENT
UNIT AND SEWER
IN RURAL AREAS AND IN SYSTEM. CANALS AND WATERWAYS 2006 CANALS AND WATER AREAS

58 GARDEN VILLAGES BIOLOGIC

TREATMENT SYSTEMS CAN BE
USED AT A HOUSEHOLD LEVEL.
+1920S CANALS IN 2020 MASTERPLAN
59
BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
SYSTEMS ARE LOW-TECH, LOW-
COST.

LOCAL WETLAND PLANTS CAN

BE UTILIZED TO HARVEST
NUTRIENTS FROM WASTE.

Protection of the water resources and ecosystems requires
a wastewater treatment system. Central sewer system
that collects all wastewater and central wastewater plants
are expensive and slow way to solve the problem. The
solution needs to be affordable and quick to avoid wider
environmental and health problems.
The system should be decentralized so that different scale
villages, larger settlements and bigger building complexes
are able to have their own tailored solution for water
treatment.
Independent systems could include sewer lines and
treatment plants, but there is no requirement for large
main sewers that can be problematic in flood areas such
as Phnom Penh.
There should be an authority that supervises the
treatment of waste water. Punishment/fines for causing
pollution should be set for both private households
and public sector.
Less environmental impact through sewer construction.
Treated water could be led directly into a canal system
or used for irrigation.
Independent communal infrastructure. This would
support the local tradition of communities when a
community could have its own treatment system.
With technical support from NGOs, families and
small communities can build their own secondary
sewers that are connected to a treatment plant provided
by the city. CHAKTOMUKH AND THE GREEN LUNGS 2050

MAIN GREEN AREAS

60 61
 Industry

WASTE NOW WASTE 2050 3000T/day Municipal

Network
Urban
Industry Population
+
2%population2 1100T/day1 Sorted out
Peri-Urban communities
in the origin Recyclables
>300 households
CERTIFIED Emissions Reduction (CER)
Collected from Climate credits (or carbon credits) issued
1 substation/ communities
only profitable ~1,176,000 people without by the Clean Development Mec Mechanism Gasifier Recyclables
district <300 households
areas waste recolection (CDM) Executive Board for emission
1T gasifier
reductions achieved by CDCDM proj-
ects and verified by a DOE under Recyclables
Agricultural husks
the rules of the Kyoto Protocol.
Pro Compost-Methane collector
Money loss Coconut shells Palm oil waste
This credits can be sold directly
dire to Animal litter Municipal waste The waste collection system focuses on turning the waste into a trading
any of the Annex 1 countr
countries of the good. Waste is no longer the final stage of the chain, is just part of the
UNFCCC.
UNFCCC C. The realization
realizatio of the Packaging waste Sewage sludge cake circle. A correct classification right from the origin is fundamental in
project can
caan be included into
i the Sterilized clinical waste order to reduce the costs implied in later classification. Some train-
Wood waste
sale negotiation
neggotiation and as part of ing sessions and information distribution are imperative.
the payment
paayment so that n no initial Sugar cane Oil filters Rendered Products
investment
in needed.
nvestment is need Due to the different realities on the city, different solutions must be
Miscanthus Peat
adopted, depending on the frame. The Urban fabric is very dense and
Derived fuel
Very
V simple and straight- in some places the access of the trucks is really a problem. In order
forward solutions,
solutio such Straw Leather to reduce cost we propose the use of larger trucks running on methane
Tyres
as collecting the
th gases Other that use the bus lanes in order to be able to fit inside the urban fabric.
of the waste contain-
c Coal Door to door collection is no longer in use. People would have to walk
ers can already
alre Here the some hundred meters to the waste collection substation by the bus lane.
collect methane,
met waste is com-
a green house
ho gas pressed to reduce the volume
"
1#2/() 

-#."/
%0!"
 





 valid for the CER. to the maximum.

()#*#+),% 


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$"%!#$&


 


62 63

 "



"






On urban areas the waste


would be then collected fur-

ther processing. Big peri-urban
DH
$';
;<
communities (>300 house-
'

holds) would have their own
 


  small gasifier for the prod-

   

 
ucts mentioned on the list,
      

     
   


small peri-urban commu-
 

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 $%& '* $
!
"#
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;<




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nities (<300) would produce
# 

 

 


compost with the biodegrad-
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=*

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@

AA
 

 able waste and collect the
 
> 
A

 



  &
 fi “naturally” produced methane.
 G
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>
C 

  
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E

  !
!
 The gasification process is used to convert solid wastes, includ-

   H  
&
?

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G

&.




 

 



 




ing hazardous wastes such as sewage sludge and hospital waste.
  

 
?  
E>
I.E

 

J&


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&


Q=D
Biomass materials can be converted into a gaseous fuel which
H  >
 H 
 

.
$ N&
E





G

*
> 
  H
;;G

H
 
H

>
consists of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane
#H?  
    
 
H


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*&;;;



 
 


H
 


 

and nitrogen.

  H
   
?N N  H
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   This takes place in a very low-oxygen environment that operates

 ! 
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.



 


  
at a very high temperature, converting the organic materials in
  
 

V. @

>
.>
=;;



=&=;; 
H

the feed stock into gas, discharging 10% ash. The gas can be used
;;; ;
 =& ;;<;
 &HX

to power the process, to produce electricity or for fuel, the gar-
bage trucks can run on the garbage they have already collected.
fi
The waste becomes a trading good that could be possible to
exchange for services, such as electricity, transportation or even as
1: Svay Lorn, chief of Stung Manchey dumpsite, the Phnom Penh Post the 23rd April 2009 combustible for vehicles.... the garbage trucks could “refill” with
2:Study on the Solid Waste Management in the Municipality of Phnom Penh, JICA March 2005, www.phnompenh.gov. the waste they collect.
kh/JICA/SWM.htm

CRADLE TO CRADLE CITY 2050

bio gas

TRANSPORTATION WASTE
Canals can be both The composting process
used as irrigation generates gases which
for the agriculture can be utilised as
but also as means of
transportation. low-tech te source of energy for the
transportation systems.
c
hn
olo
l reso es

gy
urc

canals recycling
ca

lo
tra d iti o n

WATER+GREEN AREAS HOUSING

When the production of food and When bio-degradable
other items happens near the materials are used, most of
consumers, less waste is genrated the waste can be composted
when little packaking is needed. urban agriculture to be used again as
fertilizers for the agriculture.

64 65

2050 2009
09 2009 2020 2035 2050
DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUILT URBAN AREAS ALONG THE TRANSPORTATION SPINES
AIRPORT
OR
HARBOUR
U
SIGHT
HOUSING 2009: UNCONTROLLED PANCAKE GROWTH IS SWALLOWING ALL POSSIBLE LAND
PRODUCTION
P
COMMERCIAL
CO ALL
AGRICULTURE
GR E
RECREATION 2050: URBAN VILLAGES: BUILDING IS DENSIER BY THE CORE SPINE AND LAND REMAINS OPEN
 BOEUNG
G KAK
BOEUNG KAK 4 CORNERS

66CLAIRE GONDON 67
VALLE HERRADOR
ELENA LLEDÓ
MARK TRUEMAN

Land
City

Lake

Community

Road system

Current situation
Every morning Phnom Penh experiences classic grid
lock at various intersections. Few streets are paved so
all the traffic tends to use those few streets, and at in-
tersections where two paved streets intersect; grid lock
is a daily occurrence. There are no stop signs in Phnom
Penh, and even less expectation that anyone would
stop unless they absolutely can’t move; and there are
‘claarify exist
grid’
only a few traffic lights, so the continuously flowing
stream of traffic is subject to frequent disruptions.
The main problem is that the road system is not con- New primary roads
tinuous; full of dead ends and missing links. Further-
more, there is not a clear heirarchy of roads.
The proposal
We suggest establishing a number of primary roads
in key parts of the city, such as areas close to bridges
or main intersections. The aim is to connect different
points around the lake and the lake as a whole with
other places of the city. The main idea is to manage a
net of primary roads, connected between them; and
at a smaller scale a grid of secondary roads which are
sewed together, avoiding dead ends.

To relieve traffic to both sides of the lake we propose

to open up boulevards to the east side, all of them New boulevards
connected between them by main roads. Whereas to
the West we plan to clarify the existing grid and allow
traffic to flow properly, when the city gets closer to
68
Primary existing roads _no continuous Secondary existing roads_dead ends the lake the grid will open up getting less rigid. 69
As a result we would manage to avoid traffic jams, im-
prove connections within and from the lake and keep
heavy traffic away from the shore of the lake, giving
place to green areas; which definitely are needed
around the lake

New west grid

‘giiving pplacee to
greeen aareas’

Combined map
 Bundled infrastructure
The problem
A UN study estimates that 5.2 million people, includ-
ing 4 million children die from diseases caused by
contaminated water each year. While over 2.4 billion
people which represent 40 % of the World’s population
lack proper sanitation.
According to the Profiles of Phnom Penh City prepared
by the Planning Department of Phnom Penh Munici-
pality just 53,30 % of families in Phnom Phen city has
access to drinkable water and 43,7 % are using water
from ponds, lakes, rivers, wells or buying the water.
Only 75,4% of families have access to latrine usually
the most developed and wealthy districts of the city. In
order to remedy this problem, many Third World coun-
tries have chosen to use dry toilets instead of flush
toilets. These are not a solution as dry toilets provide
a dwelling with disease carrying insects and must be
emptied inside one’s own home. Dry toilets cost four
to eight times as much as flush toilets, and flush-toilet
systems have made waterborne illness virtually non-
existent in the West. We have to keep in mind that wa-
ter is not a resource that can be used up, as fossil fuels,
70
reusing is only a matter of cleaning. What are needed
are better and cheaper sewage treatments. New
technologies exist that make installing and operating
treatment systems increasingly inexpensive; the cost
per household would be less than a quarter of what is
paid by North America and Europe. Such as bundling
the infrastructure.
Regarding the electricity services in Phnom Penh
around 80,7% of families have electricity services at
home, though in some suburban areas it decreases to
67,8%. It is important to make ICT services available,
as they are a source of information for future develop-
ment and education of the population. Its possible in
places where other utilities operate, as fibre optic ca-
bles can be laid within a gas pipeline as well as within
drinking water pipes.
Transport system
Transport analysis
““Land-use and transport patterns are but two sides of
the same coin. Land-use, desire lines, transport systems
and the opportunity cost of land, are all inextricably
interconnected.” Charles Correa (The New Landscape)
Are we creating a transport system giving priority to
the needs of the poor? Or are we really trying to solve
the traffic jams of the higher income earning popula-
tion? Over the past eighty years we have been build-
ing cities for cars much more than for people. Giving
priority to people and public spaces and restricting
private car use, would allow building sidewalks, bicycle
paths, pedestrian streets, greenways and parks.
‘impproves
p t
connn
nection
ns
with
hin
h the lake’
72
Existing train station
The proposal
To help with the current demand and future demands
of the city we suggest construction of a bundled infra-
structure system in conjunction with the upgrading
of the major road and transport networks around the
lake. The bundling is to accommodate water, sewer-
age, electrical services, IT and communications. The
systems will follow the primary roads; from there the
service will be delivered to the secondary streets and
will be connected directly to the blocks.
These upgrades are to benefit the existing local com-
munity and provide current up to date services to the
new development on the site.
Furthermore it would also be recommendable to pro-
vide sidewalks to the streets and drainage systems to
enhance the pedestrian and vehicle safety.
Bundled upgrade map
Benefits
- Lower costs for construction if the projects are bun-
dled together and managed by local government.
- If services are auctioned out individually a higher
quality of work may be carried out by experienced
71
contractors, generally at a higher cost due to less
competition.
- More clear and safe streets.
- Minimize damages to the environment
- Accessibility and affordability of ICT and other serv-
ices
Possible problems
- Flooding may infiltrate water, sewerage and electrical.
- There is a high risk of corruption if the all services are
carried out by one company, lower costs and quality
may result.
Storm and main sewer
Water main
Bundled section Gas
ICT
The proposal
The existing transport facilities around the Boeung Kak
Lake leave a lot to desire; the old train line around the
lake is no longer in use and people mainly use bicycles
to go from one place to another. We consider it’s es-
sential to establish a hierarchy of transport systems,
implemented in succession as the city grows. The new Proposed train station Proposed network of bike paths
train line will be located slightly further from the lake
to establish a new transport area. As a result the train
line will not interfere with the city activity.
To preserve a cultural tradition which is slowly falling
to mechanical power we proposed that the cyclo cen-
tre moves to the lake area and establishes itself as the
main mode of transport around the lake. With current
trends of the city the lake area is the only one that this
culture can survive under the pressures of motorised
transport.
Many of the Third World cities, including Phnom Penh
are rapidly emulating the “automobile” society from
the West, but without any infrastructure or controls
on pollution. We understand how important it is for
people to be individually self-sufficient at a city scale,
that’s why we support to keep bikes in the city; for
Proposed boat connection Potential growth points
which we have provided a green ring that borders the
lake. Bicycles play an important role in the transport
of developing countries, as it is an energy-saving and
73
pollution free alternative.
We also propose boat transport at a small scale which
improves the connections within the lakes cultural
districts.
When it comes to decide the route of the local trans-
port, we have decided to focus on key points in order
to create potential growth points around them; taking
into account important intersections and the lines that
the intercity buses and train follow.
 Waste management
The Proposal
To provide an effective solid waste management
system for the long-term a sustainable technical and
financial plan using low technology and low cost is
required. Public education is an essential part of an in-
tegrated solid waste management program to change
the attitudes and habits of the residents.
It is important for the community to adopt segregation
of waste at source, recycling (paper, glass, plastic bot-
tles, metal), reuse, backyard composting and dispose
of residual waste in a proper disposal site. Therefore
community-based facilities would be established to
sort the recyclables, process and transfer to markets,
compost the bio-degradable to produce a soil amend-
ment, and also to provide a small area with open
topped containers.
74
Green areas
Green area analysis
As the existing diagrams show the green belt around
the lake is fractured and does not tie the lake and sur-
rounds together. The constant decrease in green areas
around Phnom Penh is clearly visible from old planning
maps and photographs. Like the lake these areas are
venerable to being developed by local communities
or are sold off to developers. The existing green areas
work well within the city but do not lead anywhere or
link with each other.
76
Confederation de la Russie
Solid wastes are collected via two trucks which work in
tandem each concentrating on different wastes. The
latter is taken to a recycling station for sorting and
placed in large bins for temporary storage before be-
ing transferred to private recyclers for further process-
ing and re-use. The prevailing practice for collection is
through private contracts. For example, a paper com-
pany could buy all of the recyclable paper materials.
The system creates income opportunities for poor
through gardening or handicraft-making. The quantity
of solid waste would be reduced to be disposed to
dumpsites.
Waste collection points
75
Waste site Phnom Penh
Green Area Proposal ‘oppen up visttas’
To provide necessary links between the existing green
areas and extend existing green areas to open up vis-
tas. The main idea is to use the lake and its surrounds
as the vital link that ties the existing green areas with
the proposed ones displayed in the diagrams. Proposed network of green paths
The proposal is to open up the west to east link from
the Phnom Penh University to the Tonle Sap River,
creating a continuous link around the lake by opening
up the lake front area. An extension of the main prom-
enade up to the bridge with existing green boulevards
meeting additional ones that link directly to the lake.
‘coontinu
uous link
arround d lakee’
Proposed connection to green areas
77
Existing green areas Completed green links
‘lin
nk dirrectlyy to
thee lakee’
Existing green roads
 Green areas - Canal system
Canal system analysis
The current water situation on the lake is a dyer need
of attention, the problems the lake faces is overuse
from the local communities and no adequate fresh
water intake. These events have lead to the demise of
morning glory crops which were still visibly in use in
the last decade. This has followed on to the fish farms
with the produce now being contaminated and locals
regularly becoming ill from eating the fish. This tied in
with the recent filling of the lake has almost eradicated
any life and use for the water apart from a dumping
ground.
78
Boeung Kak Lake
Housing finance (MODIFIED FROM
UPDF)
Who produces the housing?
-“OWNER BUILT” housing--housing as a PROCESS
They can control the whole process
Allows households to find creative ways of helping
pay for their houses
This kind of housing represents an extremely deli-
cate expression of poor people´s gradual capacity
to climb out of poverty
Urgent need to update informal settlements into
better-serviced and secure neighbourhoods
-GOVERNMENT BUILT housing—as something STATE
SUPPLIES
-GOVERNMENT BUILT social housing—SUBISIDIZED
WELFARE
-PRIVATE SECTOR housing—COMMODITY we buy/sell
-PRIVATE SECTOR rental housing—housing as a FLEX-
IBLE OPTION
80
Canal system Proposal
The first step would be to stop the infilling of the lake
and work with the damage that has been done. The
next would be to provide fresh water to the Boeung
Kak lake area from the Tonle Sap River, reopen the
old canal systems from the 1920’s and provide new
covered link to the north of the lake with the upgrade
of infrastructure. The system is to benefit the lake by
constantly changing flows of water and flushing out
the stagnate still water.
The canal system is become a vital architectural ele-
ment to the urban surrounds. We propose that the
canal runs directly through the old train station open-
ing before turning towards the lake. The canal system
will provide an important pedestrian and small vessel
link to the cultural and arts area of the lake.
Ways to reduce housing costs
-MASS producing housing units on a LARGE SCALE
Mid or high-rise blocks of apartments--doesn´t fit
households because they use their housing for both
economic and shelter activities
Detached or semi-detached houses—economies of
scale, reduce costs by repeating the same standard
unit
-SELF-BUILDING by people
Building flexibly and incrementally, control on ex-
penses
-FLEXIBLE building standards
Purpose is not to punish households but to improve
their housing and make it safer
-STANDARDIZED building components
This king of mass production of simple building
components can also be set up on a smaller scale,
within poor communities themselves, by local
entrepreneurs, with a little bit of training and tech-
nical assistance
‘lin
nk to the ccul-
tural annd arrts’
‘coveered liink’
Canal system 1929
Canal system 1939
Tenant´s affordability
-The ability to pay for housing
Using percentage of monthly income
Subtracting expenditure from their monthly income
Letting the household decide
-Household´s monthly income
Difficult to determine
-Housing needs VS. Housing demand
We have to look carefully at the figures which describe
housing needs, and then try to estimate the likely
demands for the different kinds and prices of housing
to be produced, so needs can be met!
Why is housing finance so important?
-FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEED AND RIGHT
-HOUSING IS EXPENSIVE
-LOANS MAKE SENSE
-FINDING A WILLING LENDER
“Housing finance is the term for the whole process by
which households get loans to buy a house, including
all the rules and procedures that go with that process
of giving and recovering loans not only to individual
households but also to housing developers, based on
funds by the lender from the wider financial markets”
Understanding LOAN CONDITIONS
-Why can´t poor people borrow money from banks:
No regular income
No legal title to the property
High downpayments—certain part of the total hous-
ing is borne by borrowers, poor households don´t have
the mean to raise such “downpayments”
Small loans are not cost effective for banks
Understanding LOAN REPAYMENT
methods
This period is usually fixed in the beginning, but the
systems which manage their borrowing and repay-
ing MUST involve them centrally in the manage-
ment. They must also be flexible enough and open
enough to allow new strategies for loan repayment
which allow poor communities to resolve payment
problems---strategies like making bulk loans to
community groups instead of individual loans, and
letting the group manage the repayment process
collectively.
Reopen canal
Proposed covered canal
79
Canal and green links
‘lin
nk dirrectlyy to
thee lakee’
STRATEGIES to make sure HOUSING
FINANCE REACHES THE POOR
-Community-based self-finance
When communities save their money together, and
make loans from the collective savings, they are not
only building their own financial resource base, but
they are developing the collective management
skills and financial capacities to manage money as
a group.
Community member enjoy most of the advan-
tages that informal lenders do, such as closely
knowing the situation of the borrower and using
social collateral as a mechanism to recover loans.
Because they are owned and operated by the poor
themselves they are able to eliminate the costs of
the formal market and exploitative elements in the
informal market.
Besides saving for livelihood, emergencies and
housing, these savings groups have also strength-
ened the communities they operate in, by provid-
ing people a simple, regular mechanism for build-
ing collective management skills, cooperation and
mutual assistance, while they build a community´s
own finance resource base.
-Simplifying the formal sector
Minimal paperwork—people may be intimidated by
bureaucracy
Minimal collateral requirements—This requires the
81
lender to know the borrower—social pressure
Ensuring flexibility in repayment—Repayment must be
mutually agreeable, on a case-by-case basis
Incremental housing financing—Giving series of small,
consecutive housing loans—after they would be eligi-
ble for taking a larger loan with a longer repayment
-Channelling loans through community savings
groups
A community savings group not only attracts funds
for housing finance, but the process of operating a
savings and loan process within a poor community
develops the collective and individual financial
management capacities the poor will need to man-
age larger housing and land loans later on.
Women are especially attracted to savings groups
because they provide credit quickly if the house-
hold is in crisis, and can provide loan facilities, for
example for income-generating activities.
 -Using intermediate institutions to bridge formal and
informal finance
1. Increase comfort factor—there is a trusted interme-
diary
2. Open new markets which so far have been unreach-
able to finance institutions
3. Tailor loans—adjust systems to make loans more
workable for the poor
4. Promote bulk lending
5. Establish revolving funds—it could use long-term,
wholesale loans from the finance institutions to revolve
in a variety of shorter-term loans to poor households
for many purposes-not only housing
6. Introduce subsidies—in order to make the loans
more accessible for poor households
-Cost-reduction strategies
1. Reducing cost through design
Design tight housing layouts
Design housing units of smaller size
Use community and household labour
Use alternative, recycled or cost-saving materials
Buy materials collectively
Build housing collectively
2. Reducing housing costs through internal cross-
subsidies
Governments, developers and communities have used
82
BOEUNG KAK 4 CORNERS
The lake areas
The Boeung Kak Lake area can quite naturally be
divided up into four areas, or four node points. For
the purposes of seeing how the lake can work as one
continuous link we would like to show their functions
and how they work together.
The idea of attracting people to the lake area requires
this breakdown of intermittent areas that can lead you
on a path of travel. Walking and bike paths are the
only mode of transport allowed around the lake area
with exception to the cultural boat link between Area
1 and Area 3. The node points are to directly link with
the existing cities public spaces and important build-
ings.
While areas 1 and 2 are primarily housing they play an
important part in the future of the lake and its uses. To
prevent further resettling of communities these areas
are important for the development and growth of the
city.
‘inttermiittentt
84
areeas that can
leadd you
u on a
patth of ttravell’
04
Area 1 - Cultural heritage
This area still has existing fish farms and the commu-
nity living along the train lines. Out of all the areas
around the lake this location is the most suitable for
keeping the traditional heritage and lifestyle of the
Khmer people. We propose a redevelopment of the
area by training the local community to build to stand-
ards in their traditional style. The further development
of stilt housing for fish farming and morning glory cul-
tivation is strongly promoted to preserve this heritage.
to finance low-income housing with minimal loans is
to cross subsidized the low income housing through
profits from the sale of market-rate housing units
within the same development
3. Reducing housing costs by building incrementally
8 Ways to develop a better HOUSING
FINANCE STRATEGY
-1-Make housing finance systems that are NEED-DRIV-
EN, not supply-driven
Meet the reality of the target households
-2-Don´t restrict finance mechanisms to housing alone
-3-Consider using subsidies as tools to make finance
more accessible
-4-Support community savings as part of housing
finance
-5-Keep loan sizes and loan purposes flexible
-6-Involve people in every stage of planning a housing
finance strategy
-7-Minimise rules and procedures and maximise flex-
ibility
-8-Explore innovative, community based ways to pro-
vide loan security
Area 2 – Housing Development
This area has the highest density and quality of build-
ings around the lake. We propose that this area be
used for medium to high density housing blocks and
as a major future growth. There is a possibility for
growth of stilt housing blocks out into the lake area to
accommodate the increasing population.
Area 3 – Cultural Arts
This area is currently alive with backpacker hostels and
small bars and restaurants for tourists. There is also a
small art community and gallery spaces in the tightly
winding streets. The idea is to develop the former train
station as an art gallery for local artists and create a
fresh approach to the area. We want to create an in-
spiring blend of medium density housing, tourism and
café life to give the focal entry to the city an inviting
entrance to the lake.
02
01
03
Area 4 – Transition
The Pagoda is the only real life of this area at present
and it is suffocated by poorly planned streets and does
not open up to the lake. Nothing should be planned
in front of the Pagoda as it should hold presence to
the lakes shoreline. This area is where we plan to cre-
ated the new train station and bus terminal using and
extending on the old storage facilities that exist on the
site. This new point of transition is to be the link to the
city of Phnom Penh from through national and interna-
tional rail and bus networks.
Building guidelines
Building development requirements
Required in most developed cities to regulate the quality of
the buildings being erected building guidelines are required in
Phnom Penh and in particular the area around the lake to keep
the integrity of the urban cityscape.
For any new building developments on and around the immedi-
ate Boeung Kak Lake area we propose the ground floor of every
building be used as a flood zone. This zone is to combat the rising
waters in the wet season and to also open up the ground level as
in traditional buildings.
Flood zone height
flood zone
Flood zones should be one floor level with a min 3m clearance to
the ground. See the building types for the occupancy require-
ments.
Sustainable buildings
All new dwellings should conform to sustainable requirements.
Shading of windows from direct sunlight, cross flowing ventilation
and sun orientated planning should be required.
Large Buildings – Commercial
83
The proposed maximum height limit is 25m for large commercial
zoning with a maximum of five levels. Each level should have a
minimum 3m high floor to ceiling height. The ground floor flood
zone can be used for light retail, restaurant and bar use only with
small stores which will add character to the streetscape.
Medium Buildings – Commercial and Residential.
flood zone
The proposed maximum height limit is 17m for medium commer-
cial and residential zoning with a maximum of three levels. Each
level should have a minimum 3m high floor to ceiling height. The
ground floor flood zone should be left for semi private space for
residential blocks. While the ground floor of commercial should
be used for locally produced products, restaurant or bar use only
which add character to the streetscape.
Small Buildings – Residential
The proposed maximum height limit is 7.5m for small residential
detached dwellings with a maximum of one level. The ground
floor flood zone should be left for semi private space for residen- flood zone
tial traditional uses.
Development process
Three stage process
The idea behind the staged process is to work with efits the newly divided land with new services making
the political decision to lease the land and to analyse it more attractive for potential companies. The canal
the most important areas for development that can systems provide the initial phase of developing the
benefit all parties involved. With our proposal we have lake as the key link to the city. Development of hous-
considered the developer as the major investor and ing areas with local communities can lead into them
therefore giving them equal priorities along with the taking part in the development of green areas around
existing community. the lake. The main idea is to establish the area and
then introduce the tourism drive to an attractive city
The three stages are devised on what we see as impor- lake.
tant factors in the development process of the lake,
while considering the need for the developer to make These stages are just a guide to what the possibilities
profit returns as quickly as possible. are and the development of the lake should continue
well past the initial stages, the lake are should be con-
The need for upgrading the local infrastructure ben- stantly changing and growing with the city.
85
Stage 1 Stage 2
‘anaalyse the m
most
impportaant arreas fo
for
devvelopmment ’
Stage 3
 General plan

The development of the Boeung Kak lake area is shown
below with the proposed zoning to be integrated into
a vibrant open parkland development. It is to take
advantage of the proposed 4 corners and inclusion of
local communities in the development of the project.
The zoning areas are to be used as a guide for future
growth and developer guidelines to protect what is
remaining of the lake area. The commercial areas are
located on the main roads surrounding the lake for ease
of access and as traffic sound protection. The protec-
tion of key buildings and introduction of public spaces
are to add a cultural significance for the local communi-
ties. In keeping with the idea of open vistas to the lake
from promenades the buildings are to frame images of
the lake and are not to encroach the site lines, the lake
is to become the key link to the advancing city greater.
The general plan is to show the developer and future
developments in Phnom Penh how to accommodate a
growing city with medium density planning and how to
take advantage of the beautiful lake front views.

legend:

86 87

Land
City

Lake

Community

88 PHOM 4 COMMUNITY 89

MARTA MATO SABAT

PETER SCOTT
ALBERT SIMON BAULENAS
YUE YANG
 CURRENT CONDITIONS THE PROBLEMS
The area chosen for planning consists of an informal
settlement located on the southern banks of Boueng Kak. Lack of roads
Due to the recent sale of this government land and the sub- No paved footpaths
POLICE
sequent filling of the lake this community as well as the many x1 x1 Poor access to the area
others surrounding the lake are facing the imminent threat 1
No formal urban planning
of unvoluntary relocation. Whilst some form of compensa-
tion is being offered by the company it is not sufficient and No rubbish collection
cannot offset the costs of a new residence in Phnom Penh. Poor sanitation system
The relocation sites are also inadequate as they are too far No legal rights of tenure
removed from the city centre and lack the most basic of infra- x8 Unsafe public areas
x1
structure. It is of our belief that upgrading the existing com- No street lighting
munity and surrounding infrastructure would be far more
Neglected part of the city
beneficial to both the inhabitants of the area and the city of
Phnom Penh. 2 No relation to the lake
The central location of the lake and the extended No water supply
peninsula of the community offer an excellent opportunity x 314 No formal source of electricity
for the inhabitants in the form of tourism. This aspect could No storm water drainage
be utilised to provide new occupations for the residence of No safe areas for children to play
the community and surrounding areas. Awarding each fam-
No public spaces
ily their right of tenure would encourage growth and devel-
x 1727 (5.5/house) No community centres
opment within the community, placing certain planning ob-
jectives would ensure an appropriate development strategy No financial help from the government
3
and with time create an asset to the whole of Phnom Penh. Inadequate health centre
No immediate Public Transportation

90 Remaining houses
Abandoned buildings
Industrial site so close 91
Railroad close to housing
Filled Area
Poor water quality in the lake
No green areas
4 No potable water
Inadequate housing standards
Poor air quality
Burning rubbish
Isolated from the city
3
Unplanned houses
No help with building houses
5 Threat of unvoluntary relocation
No landscaping
Waste left from demolished houses
Unsanitary environment
No social help form the government
5 No turistic use of the area
1 4 Inadequate housing conditions
2 6
6 Underutilised lands
No commercial use of the area
Closed to outsiders
PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY
PHNOM PENH PHNOM PENH

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES HUMAN RIGHTS

The Right to Adequate Housing (Art.II(1)): 13/12/91 CESCR General Comment 4

In order for the community to pros- Security of Tenure: all persons should pos-
per a number of improvements to the basic ses a degree of security of tenure which guarantees legal protec-
infrastructure of the area must be imple- tion against unvoluntary relocation, harassment and other threats.
mented. These physical improvements are Most informal settlements and communities, including those found
around Boueng Kak and other areas of Phnom Penh, lack legal se-
drastically needed to improve the health
curity of tenure. State parties should consequently take immedi-
and wellbeing of the inhabitants. It is also ate measures aimed at conferring legal security of tenure upon
important to address certain social issues those persons and households currently lacking such protection.
and to educate the community on the ways Once parties have security of tenure they are more likely to be granted
to realise and sustain the ideals of the proj- loans for their homes or business. This, with the knowledge that they
ect. Enabling security of tenure is one of the and their possessions will be safe, encourages persons to send time
key issues and it must be implemented for and money improving their dwellings and thus the community.
the redevelopment to succeed. Affordability: personal or family financial cost
associated with housing should be at such a level that the at-
tainment and satisfaction of other basic needs are not threat-
ened or compromised. Affordability is an acute problem and
PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENT
a major factor into why so many people cannot access for-
mal housing and are thus forced into informal settlements.
- Clean water supply
- Adequate sewage disposal to improve the
well-being of the community Habitability: for housing to be considered ad-
- Enable street improvments; footpaths and equate, it must be habitable. Inhabitants must be ensured ad-
street lighting for security. equate space and protection against the cold, damp, heat, rain,
- Solid waste collection wind or other threats to health, structural hazards and disease
- Formal electricity to homes vectors. Inadequate and deficient housing and living conditions
x600 x 3300 are invariably associated high mortality and morbidity rates.
- Urban growth plan
- Community centres Accessibility: housing must be accessible to every-
92 - Public and green areas
- Emergency access
one. Disadvantaged groups such as the elderly, the physically and men-
tally disabled, HIV-positive individuals, victims of natural disasters,
93
POLICE children and other groups should be ensured some degree of priority con-
x1 x1 sideration in housing law and policy to ensure their housing needs are met.
SOCIAL ISSUES
Location: adequate housing must be in a location which allows ac-
- Provide health centres and education cess to employment options, health-care services, schools, child-care cen-
programs tres and other social facilities. This is true both in large cities and in rural ar-
- School facilities and teacher training eas where the temporal and financial costs of getting to and from the place
- Cultural focus x1 x 40
of work can place excessive demands upon the budgets of poor households.
- Improve social security For this reason it is far more beneficial for this community to upgrade their
- Enable security of tenure existing conditions rather than relocating to a site far for Phnom Penh. Simi-
larly, housing should not be built on polluted sites nor in immediate proxim-
ity to pollution sources that threaten the right to health of the inhabitants.
INCOME EARNING OPPORTUNI- + x100
Culturally Adequate: a right to reside in housing
TIES that is considered culturally adequate. This means that housing pro-
grammes and policies must take fully into account the cultural attributes
- Enable houses to open their own bussi- of housing which allow for the full expression of cultural identity. Activi-
ness: cafés, restaurants, handcraft shop ties geared towards development or modernisation in the housing sphere
- Possibility to work with turism activities x3 x7 should ensure that the cultural dimensions of housing are not sacrificed.
in the area: fishing, hostels
Availability of Services, Materials, Facilities and Infra-
structure: Adequate housing requires access to clean and affordable
drinking water, energy for cooking, heating and lighting, sanitation and washing
facilities, refuse disposal, site drainage and emergency services. Access to the cit-
ies mains water and electricity supplies as well as adequate sanitation and refuse

PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY disposal should take priority within this community.

PHNOM PENH PHNOM PENH

 TRANSPORTATION

A privileged location (walking distances to major

places of interest and basic services: 1350m to bus
station, 900m to city hall, 1100m to nearest hospi-
tal); yet difficult accessibility: no public transport,
surrounded by water on three sides, narrow (1 m)
wooden paths. This is the current situation for a
community that bases its mobility on bicycles,
motorbikes and walking. Some also use tuk-tuks
and boats as a means of employment.

Our proposal is to improve the access to each

point of the community whilst causing minimum
impact on the people living there. For this rea-
son, we propose to modify some of the existing
paths, changing the material from wood to tiles
and widening to 2-3 meters. The width of the ma-
jor roads should be enough to allow tuk-tuks and
emergency services; however cars are prohibited
in the area. As proven in other projects, a solid du-
rable street brings security to the inhabitants and
will encourage the community to start improving
their homes.

94 At the locations where streets end or change di-

rection we have proposed small squares (200-300
95
sqm) that host parking spaces for tuk-tuks and
waste containers. This concentration of the public
service functions in certain points allows road-
ways to be narrow. Where possible, the squares
open to the lake on one side, creating small har-
bors. The squares then become spaces of inten-
sive use and movement of people where shops,
restaurants and hotels will develop. We believe
that the water transport will became important
for the community, both for supplies and people,
especially for touristic use.

The implementation of the project will be in a

number of steps. In the initial stages the objec-
tives are both to create a basic network and to
upgrade the existing inhabited areas. While the fi-
nal stage, consist of the construction of streets in
the new housing areas and the implementation
of secondary paths. The few dwellings that need
to be removed to allow for the upgrading will be
placed as close as to the original site as possible.

WASTE MANAGMENT SANITATION

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Faecal urine separation technol-
_ reducing the amount of waste produced ogy: Passive ventilation Collect rain water

_ making the best use of what waste is produced

Faeces and urine collection and disposal, based Store rain water in water tank
_ recycling is an integral element of any waste Fecal urine separation
on the following points:
management strategy, partly because it has
1) Data shows that normal human urine has no
the benefit of reducing the amount of waste re pathogenic micro-organisms; the intestinal para- Wash hands

quiring disposal. sites found mainly in faeces.

2) Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium found in Feces Urine Used for flshing and cleaning
At present there is no garbadge service within the community. urine represents more than 80% of the total nu-
trients present in human waste. In this form it is
Half-year self processing,
easily absorbed by crops. become dry and harmless
Collect to airtight container

Recyclable garbage collection

Based on the above, the urine is nutrient-rich and
Can be used directly
Residents of the community collect recycla- contains no pathogens; it can be stored directly Excellent soil conditioner

ble waste and sell to garbage collectors. or simply mixed with water for timely use. After
long-term storage and processing (more than
Collection points are located near the en-
half year) the untreated faeces becomes harm-
trance of the community where it is acces- Used on greenspots
less, the processed manure can then be used as
sible by garbage truck.
an excellent soil conditioner.

Unrecyclable garbage (collected once a day)

Families Population No. of Waste Collector No. of Push Cart No. of Waste Bin Waste generation (Kgs)/ day Sustainable design
Today 314 1727 1 or 2 1 4 300 Passive ventilation utilises air pressure and the air flow
from inside to outside. Adequate ventilation is impor-
96 Future 900 5200 4 2 12 900
tant to help dry the faecal matter.
The rain collection system harvests water from the roof
97
Transport Options of the building and stores it in a tank that is installed
above the toilet and urinal. This water can be reused for
flushing and cleaning. Water used for hand washing can
also be collected and stored for future reuse.

WATER Pure water supply

In the first stage, a system to purify drinkable water would be established in the
community. This system would enable the community to fullfill, by itself and with-
out any specific infrastructure nor skills, their drinkable water needs.
Solar Power
A french organization called “1001 Fontaines pour demain”, is working on this systems in (panel 0.5m2 + battery)

Cambodia already. We could propose the same in this community. The system is based on
developing a new cheap, self-sufficient and easy to use solution, enabeling communities
(schools, health care dispensaries) to independently produce the drinkable water they need UV Tube

using surface water.

A simple solution: UV+Solar system = stainless steel case measuring 1mx1mx25cm Small
Pomp
containing:
Organic waste (collected once a day) - a solar power system
Set of 5 filters

Organic waste such as leftover food, vegetables, roots and leaves produce strong odours and liquid. Using - a small pump pushing the water to the treatment station
- a set of 5 filters whose role is to eliminate all small particles that could interfer with antibac-
kitchen waste for compost could minimise the environmental impact and possible harm to health.
terial effect of the UV light Electronic

PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY

Control Panel
- a UV tube
- an electronic control panel that monitors the station

PHNOM PENH
 Advantages: GREEN SPOTS Re-Cycling
Production is approximatively 800 liters/hour.
UV treatment of water is highly effective in elminating bacteria. This treatment involves no
chemical agents.
The distribution of this water is done by plastic bottles of 20 liters each. Bottles are sterilised Re-use train
before reutilisation.
UV + Solaire is designed for treating surface water (pond, lake and river). benches Turn them
Operation costs are very low: mantainance costs are less than $ 0.70 per processed cubic into a public space
meter. shaded by a central tree
Becomes a place of exchange
Along with the benefits of drinking “clean” water comes and “educational” benefit which
young people will carry in their lifes.
This system also provides self-sufficiency in the community and creates a small bussiness
which depends on the production and sale of water. In addition to the economic benefits
the operator provides services to the village as: selling and distributing the containers,
making sure that there is an adequate supply of water at a low price to be affordable to the
villagers but sufficiently high to provide the operator and his family, a source of income.

Rain water harvesting Re-use wagons

Turn them into a mobile
To collect rainwater, the same technique already existing within the commu- garden on the railtracks
nity would serve. For houses on the lake, rain water would be collected from Possibility to shade
some parts more or less
the roofs to an outside tank, supported by pillars, behind the house.

GREEN POINTS
District Level

98 Re-use corrugated
iron sheets to make a
99
container for a vegetable
garden. Provides auton-
omy and may be for sale

Central - semi- Comon cultivat- Central - semi- Wide semi-pri-

private green ing land behind private green vate green area. Be-
spot. Becomes a houses on land. Be- point. Becomes a place comes a place of exchange
place of exchange comes a place of exchange of exchange and shade and entertainment Re-use plastic
and entertainment and and self-autonomy
bottles and tim-
House Level ber boards to make
flotting vegetable gar-
dens. Provides autono-
my and may be for sale
Cultivating site
with private floating
vegetable gardens. One
Private cultivat-
familiy that has knowledge ing plot floating
in agriculture can take care on the water. For fami-
of the site, and provide him- lies that have agricultural
self an income to live, by skills, can provide for Re-use plastic
selling the products or by themselves vegetables
working for other families or sell them if needed. bottles and tim-
ber boards to make
PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY flotting gardens. Pro-
vides assurance and pleasure
PHNOM PENH PHNOM PENH

DWELLING EXAMPLE HOUSING GROUP

C-2
B-2 storage toilet toilet B-1
bedroom toilet kitchen
restaurant

D-1 bedroom

C-3 Shop

kitchen coffee bedroom

Floor ventilation + Roof ventilation + Sun protection

C-1 A-1 shop toilet A-2

livingroom workshop

toilet kitchen

storage
kitchen toilet

terrace
A-3 toilet kitchen

bedroom
D-2
livingroom
bedroom livingroom

100 Section example terrace toilet kitchen B-3 bedroom bedroom 101
toilet

kitchen livingroom
KITCHEN

bedroom bedroom
BATHROOM
2000

2000

Ground floor

OM 4 CO MMU NITY
Hfloor
PFirst PHOM 4 CO MMU NITY
PHNOM PENH PHNOM PENH
 MASTER PLAN

green areas walking/bike paths

main commercial axes housing areas

existing houses
relocated houses
new houses
bussiness houses

cultivating areas
recycling centre
102 school + health centre 103
private wooden path
main street
walking/bike paths

BUSINESS AND TOURISM

Before

104 105

After
 PUBLIC SQUARE

106 107

HOUSING PLAN

108 109
 PHNOM PENH I sit front of my computer, summer is coming to Hel-
sinki, and you don’t need your winter jacket any more.
Phnom Penh feels so far away, but talking to a friend

SEEN THROUGH from there brings me back to the dusty roads of Phnom
Penh.

OUR EYES People are crossing the streets among the cars, motos and
tuk tuks.
-Tuk tuk Lady!? Smiling man is asking by yelling, po-
110 litely you shake your head and smile. - Moto? is the next
question.
111
Moto’s and Tuk tuk’s are filling the streets. There are
no pedestrian walk ways; the space is used as parking
lots, market places or as living space. Streets are full of
garbage, shoes, plastic bags, straws. Everything you can’t
recycle is just lying around on the streets; there are kids
to play with and animals to eat.
We saw different sides of Phnom Penh; relocation sites
located far from the centre without any transportation
system, relocation sites which were nice and clean but
nobody lived there, high class hotels and bars, where you
could see that it was the locals doing all the hard work
there.
You could really feel the desperation of the people
around, when you, a twenty something, a western
student, knowing nothing, entered the poor areas where
people who had lived there for twenty years, were turn-
ing to you, seeking for help.
My friend is telling that Phnom Penh is getting more
and more dangerous, so the desperation increases…
But, we still saw lot of smiles among poverty and hope
among hopelessness.
And yes, we ate spiders.

Noora Aaltonen

112 113
 WHY DO AID PROJECTS ALWAYS START BY DDONATORS PUTTING THEIR OWN
114 SYMBOLS UP FIRST? HOW SINCERE IS OUR DESIRE TO HELP? 115

LIFE IS GRAND WHEN YOU OWN

YOUR OWN HOUSE - $850,000

116 117

Happy to be home
This spacious seven-room, seven-bathroom abode
reminds you just how cool living in the tropics can be
when you are surrounded by lush trees, drooping vines,
and colorful flowers.

-www.phnompenhpost.com/postproperty
118 119

120 121
 PHNOM PENH -NIGHTLIFE
122“Phnom Penh is a surprisingly good little party town, offering a du sk till dawn nightlife and a variety of places from which to choose - 123
from dance clubs and sports bars to neighborhood pubs and upscal le clubs. Bars and clubs are scattered across the town but as the city
is not all that large, it’s never more than a five or ten minute ride be etween places, usually less. And there are several little clusters of
bars and nightspots around town allowing you to stroll easily from one to the next.”
PROJECTS 2008 OUR STAY IN CAMBODIA (MARCH 21ST - 30TH ,
2008)
Our group of students from different parts of Europe
met in the north of Cambodia on a sunny Thursday
afternoon. We got the first impressions of the country on
our tuk-tuk trip from Siem Reap International Airport
to our hotel: the undeveloped and littered roadsides
soon gave way to the city commercial strip, full of traffic
Bassac and tourist hotels. The cultural immersion continued
by having dinner together at a Khmer kitchen. Next
Boeung Kak morning we went to see the spectacular Angkor Wat and
spent the whole day there – it was great to experience
Trapeang Crop the former megacity! We finished that first day having
a meeting with the Australian – French group doing
archaeological research on the ancient city and this was
124 the usual for the rest of the trip: interesting discoveries
and hard work from dusk till dawn.
The following day we took a boat on the Ton Le Sap
Lake to see some floating villages and Kompong Phluk
village – completely amazed again. The dry season let the
houses built on stilts floating up above and we were told
that the village only street is actually a boat channel in
the wet season. The children welcomed us to play with
them and we saw how the older ones went to school.
In the evening we travelled to Phnom Penh by bus and
saw some of the Cambodian countryside on the way. We
still did not know, but the feeling we got from the poor
rural areas in Cambodia was going to be considered in a
very positive way after we visited the communities facing
unvoluntary relocation in Phnom Penh and the living
conditions on the relocation sites around the capital city.
Once in Phnom Penh we took a cyclo tour guided by
Cambodian architecture students which was a perfect
way to get to know Phnom Penh urban structure and
architecture. During the first days in the capital half of
us attended the workshop “Smart City: Design with
People”, organised by the Royal University of Fine Arts
and the NGO Sahmakurn Teang Tnaut. The other half
started to work with other local stakeholders and organi-
sations. In the three-day workshop there were visits to
communities living in informal settlements, lectures and
-HTTP://WWW.CANBYPUBLICATIONS.COM/PHNOMPENH/PPNIGHT.HTM
a group work with the local students. It was a very good
introduction to the situation of the city.
After the workshop we started working on our own
projects and collecting material for them. Since most
of us had never been to an informal settlement it was
surprising to see how different the conditions were in
each one of them – some were nice and liveable whereas
some were completely shocking. The most worrying fact
for us was the feeling that the people were not treated
according to human rights or to Cambodian laws. In our
opinion, corruption and lack of good governance were
behind many of the problems we studied.
The days went fast, since we were busy all day until it
was time to have our evening group meeting, where we
shared information and experiences before heading for
dinner. One of the most memorable study trips was the
one to the Silk Island. We met many interesting people
and professionals on the way, and saw a very varying
scale of informal settlements. We are very thankful for
the experience and for all the help from our local con-
tacts as well!
OUR PROJECTS
We had been divided into groups before the trip and the
groups got to choose their project and site quite freely.
Two of the groups started working on the Boeung Kak
Lake communities, one with the communities in the
Bassac area and one with the Trapeang Crop reloca-
tion site, an empty rice field. We continued the work in
Finland for two months, and finally sent the plans to
the local NGO’s and other contacts. The guiding line for
our projects was our believe that Phnom Penh should be
developed in a way that both preserves the inherited city
character and includes the participation of its inhabitants
and their land tenure rights.
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT
Phnom Penh, once called ‘the pearl of Indochina’, has
some characteristics that make its urban space clearly
different from other cities in Asia. To recognize the
importance of the local culture means to foster the city
identity and make this identity the basis for future urban
planning and developments. The ancient temples of
Angkor Wat, the French colonial urban planning and
the architecture of the first modern architects in the in-
dependent Cambodia of 1960s, all form part of the built
environment character, central to Cambodian cultural
history.
The current plans for central Phnom Penh could be
described as the ‘Abu Dhabization’ of the city, that is, the
imposition of an alien model of climatically inappropri-
ate glass towers and over scaled streets. The possibility
of learning from the mistakes made in other parts of
the world when certain patterns of urbanization have
been imported is one of the advantages that Cambodia
has now, thanks to its late development process. There
is presently a big risk that Phnom Penh will be quickly
transformed into another Kuala Lumpur, replacing its
unique characteristics with an alien model of ‘devel-
oped’ city. Our plans aim at pointing out that the same
economic profit can be obtained with a urban design
that follows the existent city characteristics. The same
efficiency can be reached with lower building (mainly
4-7 stories) and using the same block size as in the rest
of Phnom Penh.
Because of the development process many poor commu-
nities are under threat of unvoluntary relocation and a lot
of families have already been evicted form their homes.
We feel that future development should not ignore these
communities, but take them as an active part of the
development. We think that this could be realized in a
way that ensures the communities right to permanently
live in the area or get their part of the future profit as
well. In our plans we propose that some communities
are given the right to stay where they are by ensuring
land tenure and upgrading the existing buildings. The
government could also take part in the funding of the
upgrading.
During our stay in Phnom Penh we realized that one
of the most important features in Phnom Penh, its river
location, is not fully in use nor enjoyed. We also had the
impression that there is a lack of quality public space
for the pedestrians of Phnom Penh. The importance of
125
public spaces in Cambodia can be seen in the streets
of Phnom Penh where all the interactions happen. In a
commercial aspect or just for any kind of citizen daily
use, the sidewalks are often extended to the road: park-
ing, benches, businesses, markets... The relation between
the outside activity and the shading capacity provided
by trees or different kinds of canopies makes the ground
floor a real living place somehow characteristic of the
city.
We argue that it is only for the benefit of Cambodia that
its capital’s identity is preserved, since the uniqueness of
Phnom Penh is priceless for its citizens and also an asset
for international tourism!
Carlos Lamuela Orta
Milla Nummikoski
City in Crisis 2008
 1953 Independence of Cam- 1960s The Olympic Village apartments and the Na- 1979 With the return of the popula- 199 90s More people 2000 There was a devas- 2001 Part of Van Molyvann´s Olympic Village Apart-
bodia. Public construction tional Theater, designed by Vann Molyvann, are tion to Phnom Penh after the Pol mov ved to the Bassac    % ments were encased in concrete in 2001 to be
boom under King Norodom constructed at Tonle Bassac riverfront. The area Pot regime, the Olympic Village are ea and the land was and tens of thousands 

 % 
&'')
Sihanouk. First Cambodian
modern architects, trained
in Paris. Break from French
colonial architecture.
is at the east end of Norodom Sihanouk boulevard, apartments were occupied by squat- div vided into smaller of families had to move to a Malaysian developer. The vacant lot oppo-
where Molyvann built the Independence Monument in ters. A number of families moved to plo ots. At this time away after their homes site to the island tip awaits the construction of
1962. The water edge was much closer to the build- the area, drained what was an unin- ove er 5000 families were destroyed. the new national assembly. The number of informal
 
 
  



      liv ved there. settlements in the Bassac riverfront reaches the
houses communities. Cambodia’s red soil. highest amount.

CARLOS LAMUELA
ROBIN MAZZOLA
MILLA NUMMIKOSKI
ANNI REINIKAINEN
SINIKKA WASASTJERNA

around 1,3. This plan demonstrates that the

Bassac     

  !
 
the same block size as in the rest of Phnom
"#$
 

  
 
1746645m2, about 250000m2 more than in the
“...This alternative plan aims at pointing Canadia Bank plan. Furthermore, we argue
out that the same density (the same eco-  
 

 
 



      that the identity of its capital is pre-
can be obtained with an urban design that served, since the uniqueness of Phnom Penh
follows the existing city characteristics. will be an asset for international tour-
The density of the Canadia Bank plan is ism...”

126 127

_Bassac Phnom Penh Cambodia

_Helsinki University of Technology - Department of Architecture - Urban Planning and Design - World Architecture and Planning - City in Crisis Spring 2008
_C a r l o s L a m u e l a - R o b i n M a z z o l a - M i l l a N u m m i k o s k i - A n n i R e i n i k a i n e n - S i n i k k a W a s a s t j e r n a
2003 Two other communities *++/8*++)      
 
   

 
in the Bassac area were :
"    ;

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relocated. At least three   #?


 @DEG$$G  $ $  H"JLH "


communities still remain, J;
L%*+++  ;;
  
;
  
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!R  development started. The whole of Koh Pich is now emptied and under construction. Legal
Reah Reay. battles between the developers and the communities resulted in some compensations being
paid.

PUBLIC SPACES: THE STREET SCALE COMPARISONS

LYON, FRANCE

PHNOM PENH CENTER

PHNOM PENH CENTER OTANIEMI, ESPOO, FINLAND

  


128 _Bassac Phnom Penh Cambodia 129

_Helsinki University of Technology - Department of Architecture - Urban Planning and Design - World Architecture and Planning - City in Crisis Spring 2008
_C a r l o s L a m u e l a - R o b i n M a z z o l a - M i l l a N u m m i k o s k i - A n n i R e i n i k a i n e n - S i n i k k a W a s a s t j e r n a

MEDIUM DENSITY HOUSING

 

 yg g

green areas

business

+ + entertainment

sphere of action

existing communities

new development: Typologies studied; residential and commercial

new development: 40% residencial, 40%offices, 20%comercial

green connections approach

+ north-south green corridor (light traffic route)

+ new traffic connection in the west complements an existing ring road
+ railway station moved to the west and the dead-end railway track to the north removed: there is a seamless
connection to the existing urban fabric and more space for new development without landfilling
+ good access to the lake from public commercial areas and connection to the important nodes of Phnom Penh,
Wat Phnom and the Central Market
+ communities in the east and on the peninsula preserved
+ residential and commercial mixed to avoid zoning and segregation
+ most of the waterfront reserved for the public

- most of the residential areas not directly connected to the lake (more difficoult to use for e.g. morning glory
cultivation or fishing)

130 Development suggestion for business approach

131
strategies, alternatives, future scenarios the Boeung Kak Lake + north-south green corridor (light traffic route)
+ new traffic connection in the west complements an existing ring road
+ railway station moved to the west and the dead-end railway track to the north removed: there is a seamless co
nection to the existing urban fabric and more space for new development without landfilling
+ good access to the lake from public commercial areas and connection to the important nodes of Phnom Penh,
1. green and blue network / future growth of the city MARCELO GUTIERREZ Wat Phnom and the Central Market
+ communities in the east and on the peninsula preserved
- lake as part of a larger water system
- continuity of the green system in the city (2 main axis N-S and W-E) MONICA GASSIOT MELIAN + residential and commercial mixed to avoid zoning and segregation
+ possibility to build commercial or public spaces on the attractive water front. Building on stilts minimizes
landfilling

2. road structure / urban main traffic flows / satellite cities

OLIVIERO PIFFARETTI - new residential areas somewhat isolated from the existing urban farbric
- ring road around the lake / split the main traffic flows in the city when getting out of it by the north-east EVA SOLLGRUBER
- spine for the new developing area at the west shore
ILKKA TÖRMÄ
3. train system
- removing the railtrack going up to north
- old ending of the system
- new housing areas proposed by MPP in the north of the lake where the train runs through. +
- moving backwards the railway station
- releasing southern and western shores, bringing forward the chance to allow the city to enhance its connectivity and opening to the lake

4. connectivity / public spaces / relation to the public city

- enhancing the relation with the main public and the city
- conection Central Market and Watt Phnom

5. kept communities (upgrading) / building on the water

- keeping the most settled communities (south-west and north-east areas)
- upgrading + integrating them into the city
- building on the water as a possible solution in order to gain surface to build, instead of filling up, and re-blocking

community approach

+ north-south green corridor (light traffic route)

+ new traffic connection in the west complements an existing ring road
+ railway station moved to the west and the dead-end railway track to the north removed: there is a
seamless connection to the existing urban fabric and more sopace for new development without
landfilling.
+ strong connections through the existing residential areas in the east and the west
+ communities in the east and on the peninsula preserved
+ communities build on silts: less need for landfilling

- not much space for new development

- intervetion to the existing communities in the east and the west needen to strengthen the connections
to the surroundings
- access to the lake only through the residential areas

- development of ring road - development of green areas in the city - changes in the rail system - consider existing roads around the lake - connection to important
lake becomes part of the city lake becomes the green heart of the city easy exit to new development area urban spaces

benefits for the owner

- Expand roof life by two to three times
- Reduce summer air conditioning cost
green roof: - Storm water management tool
ROUS REAY
it insulates the building
BOEUNG THONG flats or - Use dead space as a garden
from the sun and creates
a natural filter against the offices
pollution
benefits for the neighbourhood
- Reduce storm water runoff
green facade: flats or
the double facade decreases offices - Reduce smog
PHOM 22 the airconditioning need and - Reduce noise
“cleans” the polluted air, in - Reduce energy demand
the same time people can flats or
- Improve air quality
work with the windows open offices
PHOM 2 and walk in the balcony - Reduce city “heat island” effect
PHOM 6 - Improve aesthetics
offices or
trees: benefits for the environment
PHOM 4
with the shading created
shops
with a row of trees the walk
- Prevent combined sewer overflow
CHAM KA CHEK
is more confortable and they - Reduce carbon dioxide impact
participate to the air cleaning
shops
- Remove nitrogen pollution in rain
too - Neutralize acid rain effect
- Provide habitat for birds and insects
social structure of the lake
communities oragnize themseves to have a stronger voice

μ - only on land
- concrete columns
ventilation

north eastern communities

on land

garden bathroom garden bathroom garden kitchen bathroom

living

bedroom bedroom

southern communities
bedroom
on the lake / stilts
b

132 133
groundplan 3rd floor 1:100 groundplan 3rd floor 1:100 groundplan 3rd floor 1:100

garden kitchen garden kitchen garden kitchen bathroom

living

garden living garden living garden bedroom

+ different solutions for kitchen groundplan 2nd floor 1:100 groundplan 2nd floor 1:100 groundplan 2nd floor 1:100

b
tilted roof with rain gutter
selectable items to collect water bedroom bathroom storage bedroom bathroom
grill oven sink fridge dishwasher ventilation

- on water as well as on land. different combinations are possible depending on

- on water wooden thebudget of the people
- on land concrete or bricks possible
living kitchen shop living kitchen
flexibility garden garden
- depends of family’s budget
- selesctable: - bathroom fittings
porch porch porch
- kitchen
- wall cladding b
section a 1:100

measurements: 8m x 4/6 m two families one famliy + shop three families

32/48 m² groundplan 1st floor 1:100 groundplan 1st floor 1:100 groundplan 1st floor 1:100
a
room hight: 2.2 m
porch garden porch garden kitchen bathroom porch garden kitchen bathroom
plants/vegetables

bedroom bedroom

bedroom
If the budget of the family allows it two houses
different solutions for bathroom can be combined to one big.

- bigger bathrooms possible

a septic tank + planted filter + rainwater collector rainwater collector + - own toilet, shower or bathtub
collection of compost toilet
groundplan 2nd floor 1:100 groundplan 2nd floor 1:100 groundplan 2nd floor 1:100 - alternative systems like gray water managment
a and compost toilets can be implemented
a

bedroom bathroom bathroom bedroom bathroom storage

living kitchen living kitchen living kitchen shop

garden garden

- on stilts - on stilts - totally piped installation - alternative toilet solution

porch porch porch porch - grid in the floor for shower - grid in the floor for shower - own shower and toilet - compost toilet
a - grey water managment - grey water managment - favourable used on land
a with septic tank and planted filter
one family one family; improved two families one family + shop with septic tank and planted filter - rainwater tank
groundplan 1st floor 1:100 groundplan 1st floor 1:100 groundplan 1st floor 1:100 groundplan 1sr floor 1:100 - common toilet - own toilet (piped)
- rainwater tank - rainwater tank
 house for reblocked family
park/rain garden/grey water treatment

bench compost toilet (possibility with evaporative plant bed for urine) or bio-
gas digester toilet

AK
NG K
fountain
EU
T BO
common toilet for communities on stilts

shop for small activities

VISI
tree

AK
NG K
BOEU KE
LA

2009

y
esda

134 135
Wedn

y
ga ller
Art
rday
Mond
ay Satu

nner
shop er di
rk pack
ze wo Back
Bron

day ay
Tues Frid

da gons
Pago sday t wa
Thur ay Ghos
Sund


rk shop ks
uk wo g tr
ac
Tukt alon !
Walk
Lake
ng Kak
at Boeu
ur week
y yo
Enjo

136Community Plan Trapeang 137

Crop
IGNACIO ATIENZA
WILLEM ANNE VAN BOLDEREN
DANIELA GROTENFELT
MIKAELA NEUVO
ALBERTO QUINONES
 An idea that would support the community that is now
going to be build, is to try to locate other communities
with similar interest in the same area. The plans for a
single community should take in account growth pos-
sibility and connectivity to surrounding housing areas. A
cluster of communities could support each other and
function as a stronger political actor. A cluster of com-
munities would have more people and thus a bigger
influence on the surrounding area and the government.
There could be cooperation within agri-culture, economy,
child care, education and health care. Every community
would have a couple of public spaces. The functions on
the public area will be chosen according to the order
in which the communities will be built and connected
to each other. Every community will thus contribute in
creating a well-equipped cluster.

Public Space Use in the:

- 1st Community (117 families): Market
square- Base for the Economy
- 2nd Community ( 212 families):School-
Base for Education
- 3rd Community ( 307 families):Sports field-
Base for leisure
- 4th Community (402 families):Doctors post
- Base for Health care

138 139

Transportation, waste management and infrastructure

should also be connected. This would make the system
more efficient and economical. The plans for the separate
communities must be laid so that other can be attached
on every side. In the illustrations these are referred to as
plug-ins. In these and other areas of collaboration the
Community Cluster will also offer work for some of the
inhabitants.
A community cluster also needs a well-functioning
governance. The separate communities need to have col-
laboration meetings at regular intervals and have some
common regulations concerning waste management,
infrastructure, water treatment etc.

FAVOURITE / LEAST FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE CITY

Sorya Shopping Centre close to Central Market and

its skating rink. She was also fond of reading books, or
travel guides, at the library of her language school.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE COSTS

English lessons $10per week

FUTURE PLANS, GOALS AND DREAMS?

Besides of learning English and French she would have

liked to start learning Dutch as well. Later on she had
LIDA, 15 Sells water the dream of becoming a tourist guide in Phnom Penh
and see countries around the world.
VALLE HERRADOR

LIVING AREA: THE PARK ON RIVERSIDE IN FRONT

OF THE ROYAL PALACE HOW ARE THE ELDERLY LOOKED AFTER?

FAMILY SIZE: PARENTS, WHO ARE NOT TOGETHER
ANYMORE. SHE IS LIVING IN THE PARK WITH
HER MOTHER AND HER FATHER LIVES IN THE
PROVINCE.
Lida seemed to be bery close with her mother, even
holding her hand for most of the time.
SAFETY? MOST SAFE AND UNSAFE PLACES ON
YOUR LIVING AREA?

There is a lot of people sleeping in the park and robberies

are common. Lida told us about her friend that just got
robbed a few days earlier and lost all his earnings he had
got during the previous days.

140PHNOM PENH It is nice to be a tourist in Phnom Penh. People are

friendly, food is cheap and even the chaotic traffic
doesn´t bother you when you are sitting in a tuk tuk or a
141
PEOPLE cyclo with a local driver.
But how is it really to live there?
We saw various ways of living, which raised many ques-
tions in our minds: What if I would have to live with
28 other families in an abandoned church? Or sleep
my nights on the streets of Phnom Penh? What if an
unknown developer would have bought my home and I
would have to live in a fear that somebody will tear me of
my bed in the middle of the night and destroy my home?
We interviewed a few of Phnom Penh’s residents in dif-
ferent situations of life to really understand the city we
were there to study.

By interviewing the local people we learnt that they

are just ordinary people trying to cope with various
problems.
Teachers, nurses or even policemen might not be able to
feel secure about tomorrow in their private lives.
But no matter what the conditions are, nothing can stop
them from dreaming of a better future.

Noora Aaltonen

Taxi Driver LIVING BY THE BOEUNG KAK
5. Daily spend 10 $
6. Most expensive costs are food and money for his sons
to go to school.
7. Living space 4m x 12m on one floor. 6 members in
family, four children. They own their own house.
8.He built their house himself.
9.Local materials were used for the house.
10. The house is built out of stone and concrete. Costs
approximately 12 000$.
11. They have private bathroom and kitchen.
142 12. A house should be easy to live in. He wouldn’t want
to change the house but to stay in the same house.
13. They have no organized community in the
neighbourhood but some plans to establish one.
14. He works as a taxi driver. He owns his own car.
He drives to Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Thai border or
equivalent destination two times a day. He doesn’t speak
English so the customers are mostly Cambodian. He
finds his customers by the Central Market. He has two
free days a week.
15. He is happy with the lake as a living area and says
there’s nothing lacking.
16. He feels safe in his house. Outside this area it might
feel unsafe.
17. His parents have passed away.
19. He doesn’t consider moving to other areas in the
city because he doesn’t have money. He doesn’t have an
option.
20. He follows news from TV, he has a mobile phone
and reads sometimes newspapers.
21.His dreams are to have enough money for the
education of his children and to have a nice life style.
SOKLY, 26 Student of Architecture/Tourist Guide
1. NAME: YAM Sokly        Age: 26
OCCUPATION: Architecture student and tour guide for
Khmer Architecture Tours
2. FAVORITE PLACE IN PHNOM PENH: I like every
part of Phnom Penh, because i can learn a lot from
different area of Phnom Penh, in term of lifestyle,
culture, but the most important is that most of the
heritage buildings are laid behind the small street of
Phnom Penh...
3.HOW FAR YOU TRAVEL IN A DAY? How long it is
going to take you to go school?
It is really depend on how many things that i need to do
on the day. Sometimes i travel from the South to North
for several times, but sometimes I just stay in a place just
to concentrate on my work. Sometime i just stay home
for the whole day
4. A)WATER SUPPLY: I do not really understand this
question. Maybe i got it wrong... You mean whether my
144 house has water supply? The answer is yes, it has.
B) Food source: I do not really understand this question.
Most of the time i have food outside at the restaurant,
whether with friend(s) or alone. but sometime at home if
i asked my mum to cook for me.
C) Medical treatment: As you know, every Cambodians
worry the most is the Medical treatment. Because we do
not have a proper medical treatment system as well as
lack of well educated doctor(s) and a good government
who have enough abilities to help the citizens..
D) Income: For me, i not really have a fix income, due
to my thesis, so i need to be free. Then i can concentrate
myself more on the work. It can be between USD100 to
USD300 a month.
E) Education( if some else than architect): Wow, this
is the most interesting question from you. I like to
learn everything that related to architecture. Even
Anthropology, Archaeology, History, or Marketing,
Accounting, Tourism.....
5. DAILY SPEND: My daily spending is more on the
food, petrol and book. Even thought sometime i meet
friend(s) for drink or going some where around Phnom
Penh to do more my own research work.. So my
spending would be rang in between USD5 to USD40.  bad experiences or you been told from your friend(s)
6. MOST EXPENSIVE COSTS: Most expensive costs for
me are buying book, food and utilities at home as well as
Finishes work at 7pm, average day consists of 60kms of
riding.
Sleeps near Central market in cyclo
Returns home once a month to visit his family on the
weekend
FAVOURITE / LEAST FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE CITY?
Phalla didn´t really like Phnom Penh due to distance
PHALLA, 22 from family. He still preferred the life of a cyclo driver to
being a waitor.
Cyclo driver LIVES ON THE STREETS SAFETY? MOST SAFE AND UNSAFE PLACES ON
YOUR LIVING AREA?
AROUND CYCLOCENTER
FAMILY OF 8 (ELDEST CHILD). FAMILY LOCATED IN The issue of safety was a concern as the amount of traffic
KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE is increasing on the roads and the dangers that brings to
the riders - They sleep in their cyclos on street corners
and sidewalks and occasionally get hit by cars driven
by drivers under the influence of alcohol. Increasing
numbers of injuries have been seen in the past years due
to traffic congestion.
TRANSPORTATION WAYS THAT YOU USE?
Cyclo to transport himself around, live in and for taking
COSTS tourists around Phnom Penh. He takes a bus to see his
family back home.
English lessons $30per month
COMMUNITY?
Total earnings $60per month, $20 sent home to family
and $10 for personal The cyclo center has 1335 registered members. Despite
the facilities the cyclo center is providing the riders
appeared to be using it mostly as a nice base for
143
Rent for cyclo is 2000riel per day and total earnings for
gathering - the facilities provided by the centre were
the day approximately 10000riel (~2,5USD)
barely touched on in conversation. The services the centre
is offering are e.g. loans for bike rentals and money
FUTURE PLANS, GOALS AND DREAMS?
saving schemes, doctor available 2 days per week, laundry
facilities, bike repair facilities, shower facilities, English
Phalla started working as a waiter in Siem Reap in 2000
lessons, vocational and other basic training courses.
before moving to Phnom Penh in 2002. He currently
They also take bookings for longer tours and bigger
earns money as a cyclo driver and is learning English
groups from tourist offices they have contracts with, and
to become a guide. Phalla hopes the extra money from
deal them forward to the riders. The space they have
being a guide can put him through university to study
consists of four rooms in two floors, altogether about a
mechanics, but for the moment the costs of that are too
100sqmeters.
high, $800 per year. His dream is to return to his home
town and open a store close to the family house repairing
By the time of our visit there was about 15 riders
mechanical things.
hanging around in front and inside the centre.There was
a sense of community between the riders and it appeared
HOW ARE THE ELDERLY LOOKED AFTER?
that the older riders were proud of the young Phalla and
his studies.
Phalla mentioned his other siblings caring for the
younger ones, while he sent money home to help
INFORMATION SHARING/ACCESS?
his family. The topic of family and community was a
sensitive one.
The center says to be providing livelihood support for
the riders, for example in the form of anti-smoking
A TYPICAL DAY/ WEEK?
programmes and information on other health related
issues.
Starts work day at 7am
Some of them would have a radio attached to the side
English lessons at ELT private school 11am- 1pm
of their cyclo, but according to Phalla it´s disliked by the
police.
Lunch
internet.
FUTURE
7. HOW BIG IS YOUR HOUSE=LIVING SPACE? My
15. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE AFTER YOU
house is about 130 square meters. The living room is
GRADUATE? If i have the choice, Singapore will be the
about 20 square meters.
best place for me to live. Because i do not want to live
in a country that lack of infrastructure, people killing
8. DO YOU HAVE TOILET AND KITCHEN IN YOUR
each other everyday just to survive, and/or government is
HOUSE, OR RUNNING WATER? Yes i have toilet and
partially heavy corrupted. Maybe one day in the future,
kitchen in my house and running water as well.
my family might faces these results of the activities that
they are doing now. So Singapore some how is much
9. ARE YOU HAPPY TO LIVE THERE WHERE YOU
better than Cambodia.
LIVE NOW? Yes i am quit happy to live at my house
now. Because after i modified the house, it is more lovely
16. DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE WORK FOR
to live in now. At least we have more wind inside the
ARCHITECTS IN PHNOM PENH? Phnom Penh is a city
house and natural light as well. Especially i have a small
of emerging recently, even thought the global economic
attached toilet in my room. So it is very convenience for
crisis would slowdown the development of the city, some
me.
how in the near future, good and well educated architects
10.WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IN THE AREA IF
COULD / IS THE AREA ALREADY GOOD? WHY? I
are needed the most to change the face of the city in a
proper way.    145
would like to upgrade my house a bit in term of spaces
17. WHAT IS ARCHITECTS ROLE IN FUTURE AT PP?
arrangement. Because one of the room down-stair is not
Architects will be one of the most important figures to
function very well and I have a non-practical kitchen. I
change the fact of PP; even thought architects without
need to have a small garden as well inside the house next
political involvement would be hard in Cambodia.
to my dinning area.
18. WHAT DO YOU DREAM OF? WHAT DO YOU
11. IS THERE ANYTHING MISSING IN YOUR LIVING
WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GRADUATE? I would like
AREA? Yes it is missing a lot actually, in term of furniture
to see Cambodia in peace and people could live a proper
and gardening. But we are not really having a lot of
way (good quality of life). Personally, i dream of being
guest, so it is still ok.
one of the architects that could help people to build
low-cost housing and nice buildings as well improve the
12. WHERE WOULD YOU MOVE IF YOU HAD TO? if
education system in Cambodia as well.
i have a choice, i would love to move to Orousey area.
I would like to do more research and share those the
Because over there have more diverse cultural activities
results from my research work with the students and the
and food. Even thought it is not a good place for
public as well as continue my study abroad.
parking. Still i like that area.
13. DO YOU FEEL SAFE IN PHNOM PENH? It is
quit safe if we know where to drive and how to drive
according to the hour that we need to drive. For example
some part of Phnom Penh is safer than the other in the
day time, but not the night time.
14. ARE THERE UNSAFE AREAS IN PP? PP just like
everywhere in the world, it is unsafe if you had a (lot)
about their bad experiences. But i just got robbed as well
from a group of two people just two street away from my
house recently.
 NORA, 25 NGO Advisor/Journalist

1. COUNTRY: Finland 7. HOW BIG IS YOUR HOUSE=LIVING SPACE?

I work as a freelance journalist and advisor for
sahmakum
teang tnaut. im based in PP.
2. FAVORITE PLACE IN PHNOM PENH
Snowy’s bar in Chroy Changvar (across the Japanese
Bridge) or on a cruise on the river. Both places are great
at sunset.
3. HOW FAR YOU TRAVEL IN A DAY? HOW LONG IT
IS GOING TO TAKE YOU TO GO WORK?
Depends where I work, as I have both an office job and
I travel around for interviews. Traffic in PP is generally
mayhem, and if it rains streets are sometimes impassable,
146 so travelling times vary a lot.
I recently bought a moto (local word for moped), which
allows me to get most places with 10-15 minutes.
During rush hour when all the big Lexuses and other
cars are out it’s anyones guess however.
4 ensuite bedrooms, extra bathroom, massive hall,
living room, kitchen and massive balcony. It is quite an
unsual space as both appartments in PP tend to be above
shophouses, and hence long and  narrow. Ours is very
spacious.
8. DO YOU HAVE TOILET AND KITCHEN IN YOUR
HOUSE, OR RUNNING WATER? yes to all, plus A/C
and hot water.
9. ARE YOU HAPPY TO LIVE WHERE YOU LIVE
NOW(AREA)?
Yes, its a very interesting, rather Vietnamese
neighbourhood. very local, yet close to services and
amenities, as well as more upscale neighbourhoods. 147
10. WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IN THE AREA IF
COULD?
I would make my neighbours stop chopping
ice and cutting meat at 4.30am!

4. A) FOOD SOURCE: I eat out a lot, as it can be cheaper
than cooking in the house. Korean noodles are my staple
food, unfortunately I’m not very keen on white rice!
B) MEDICAL TREATMENT: High standard medical
treatment is available. Medical insurance
including med-evac is however essential, as more major
health-related problems can’t be
dealt with here. Dentists are great and cheap too.
C) INCOME: Highly variable, around $900/month
D) EDUCATION: MA International Relations-
Economics, MSc Development Studies
5. Daily spend around $30, but again, highly variable
6. MOST EXPENSIVE COSTS Rent at $150/month is my
largest single recurring expense, though in comparison
(both within PP and abroad) the rent is very very cheap.
Most money goes into luxury/non-essential items.
11. IS THERE ANYTHING MISSING IN YOUR LIVING
AREA? an oven and a comfortable sofa.
12. WHERE WOULD YOU MOVE IF YOU HAD TO? To
a beautiful colonial building in northern PP
13. Do you feel safe in Phnom Pehn? yes
14. ARE THERE UNSAFE AREAS IN PP? none
notoriously so.
FUTURE
15. DO YOU SEE YOUR SELF STAYING IN PHNOM
PENH OR SOMEWHERE ELSE IN CAMBODIA?
WHERE?
Yes, for another year or two, pending work opportunities.
SE Asia is a better place to be than Europe at the
moment given the global recession
16. DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE WORK FOR YOU
IN PHNOM PENH?
Yes, for qualified development experts there is likely to
be work, however the tourism and service sectors are
already suffering.
17. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RAISE YOUR FAMILY IN
PHNOM PENH?
Need a family first, but I don’t see why I wouldn’t.
18. HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE OF PP?
With current ‘development’, which includes
indiscriminate building, no proper urban planning, the
filling in of the Boeng Kok lake, evictions of poor urban
communities to peripheral ‘camps’ (called relocation sites
that have utterly inadequate basic services), the future is
bleak.
There have been some improvements, e.g. the increase
in urban green spaces in terms of parks and some
improvements in drainage, but these are marginal
considering the general negative and inequitable
development.

PHATLY, 44 Tuk-tuk driver

LIVING IN VENG SRENG
RELOCATION SITE

FAMILY SIZE: 7 (2 SONS (21, 8), 2

DAUGHTERS (25 (MARRIED), 17), 1
GRAND DAUGHTER (1))

Spends 40 000R (10$) per day for the whole family
including food, water and gas for his tuk-tuk
Wife’s job: sewing, earns 2.5$/day
The community doesn’t help to find a job.
His friends taught him how to drive and bought the tuk-
tuk himself. Now he works as a tuk-tuk driver 4h/day.
Has to go to Phnom Penh to get clients, which means he
may actually lose money.
Services in the community aren’t working as good as
expected: black outs happen once in a while and even if
the water supply works fine, the water is not really good.
He prefers to buy water if possible, but it’s an additional
charge he cannot always afford.
He buys food from the community or from outside. The
community buys it from somebody else and he knows
nothing about the community producing its own food
7. If he had enough money, he would like his kids to go
to university, but for the moment he can only plan the
future day by day. He cannot plan it beforehand.
8. He built his house himself in 1997, with some help
from the community: 200$ and some advice. In the
beginning they did not had water or electricity, but the
community provided it later on. All house plans are
similar within community.
9. He bought himself the material for building it in the
market. The house has its own toilet and kitchen. All 7
people of his family live in it.
13. He claimed that nobody cares about the community
nowadays. The actual leader doesn’t really care about the
community problems and he doesn’t pay any attention to
the claims he has been addressed. The former leader used
to be really active and the community really worked fine
in the first years, but he left when he felt the community
wasn’t going to improve any further.

D) He keeps his savings at home, just in case he needs There is a meeting place for the community but only 3 or
148 them in a hurry.
He earns little
4 people are allowed to attend (those close to the leader)
but they don’t share information or decisions. There
149
but spends too is a lack of
much, because communication
family is always between
sick. He can people in the
borrow money community
from bank or and very little
from close (if there’s any)
friends but help between
in general it’s the families. No
difficult. communal way
of living.
E) A school is
missing in the The community
community. is mostly
There is one but composed by
it is too small, children (that seemed to play together).
only few kids
can go there. 19. When he moved in Veng Sreng he wanted to live
there forever, but now, with the electricity problems it is
Two of their difficult to stay. He would like to move somewhere where
children (8 connections with school, hospital and other services are
and 17) attend provided and where electricity works well, but he cannot
Dankal Mkei afford any other place.
high school 6km away. They have to bike everyday this
distance alone and the parents are afraid something may 16. On the safety point of view: before security was bad,
happen to their child in this long distance. now it has improved because the government has put
some effort to controls the robberies (police & law).
Some children don’t go to school because books and
uniform are too expensive. His dream would be to open a garage and repair cars.
 YARA, 23 NGO worker ‘‘I dream that in the HANG, 48 Midwife/Fish
FAMILY OF 8
future Phnom Penh cultivator
LIVING BY BOEUNG KAK. FAMILY OF 4.HUSBAND
EDUCATION: could be a centre of WORKS AS A TAXI DRIVER. WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A
GOOD WIFE FOR HER TEEN-AGED SON.
University, master degree in international business and business, tourism and
OCCUPATION:

Banking, working in STT with housing rights and

culture where also poor
advocacy
people can live.’’
LIVING AREA:

A village 20 km from the city, in a non-developed area

EVERYDAY LIFE:

A typical day/ week

Yara is working from 8 to 12 and from 14 to 17 at STT.

After work she goes home by moto. Home is quite
far from the city and the journey takes about 30 min
depending on the traffic.
Yara spends about 1 dollar in a day. The most expensive
things she buys are clothes.
Yara reads Phnom Penh Post and Cambodian daily and
150 listens Radio Asia. She also likes to watch movies. These
are her the main sources to get information from world.
COMMUNITY:
There is running water in Yara’s home but she buys her
drinking water. She can’t cook the water by gas because
the village is far away from the city.
There is small market near the village where she buys
food.
Hospital or nearest medical center is in the city.
In the future the village may be more developed because
of the factories that are near.
Yara thinks that her village is nice place to live. There is
e.g. football field and a community garden with a pond.
Yara enjoys sitting in the garden and talking there with
friends.
LEAST FAVOURITE PLACES/THINGS IN THE CITY?
Big, white houses. Traffic jams.
She would like to have more trees in the city, especially
in the living areas.
OCCUPATION: Midwife, but she is sick and would stop
working if she could afford it.
2. Boeung Kak is her favorite place in the city because it
is an easy area to live in.
3. She goes to work in a hospital near Wat Phnom by her
Moto. Time: 10 minutes.
4. A)Water supply: in the house
B) Food source: Market, 15 minutes
C) Medical treatment: Calmate (?) Hospital, near Wat
Phnom
D) Income: Near Wat Phnom, 10min.
E) Education: so far, Chaktomuk Secondary High
School, where his son goes.
5. Daily spend 10$.
9. The building materials were local and mostly wood.
Toul Kork???
10. The houses are built side by side to each other, so they
might have gotten some help and information about
building from the neighbours. The neighbouring houses
are also built out of wood. She doesn’t know the total
costs of the construction.
151
11. They have their private kitchen and bathroom, but
not very modern. Supposedly no drainage but everything
does directly into Boeung Kak.
13. They have no organized community in the area.
15. She feels there is not really anything lacking from the
area.
16. She feels safe in her house in this area, but she
worries about their land. “Land without value is safest.”
She has 4 guard dogs in her house and high fence around
it.
17. Her parents have passed away.
18. She has good relations to her neighbours.

HOW ARE THE ELDERLY LOOKED AFTER?
There is one 80 year old living in her village. He lives
with his family.
FAVOURITE PLACES IN THE CITY?
River sides. Small places where people live.
DREAMS GOALS...
In the future, in 20 years, the city of PP has become a
centre of business, tourism and culture where also poor
people can live in.
She would like to live at the lake with her family and to
teach her children to work with people. She wants to live
in a community and to have lot of friend around like the
Finnish ones…
6. Most expensive costs are rice, water, medical expenses
and electricity
7. Their plot is 10,5m x 70m and the house is 8m x 23m.
Including the fish cultivation the whole plot is 70 m
long. Thereare 20 000 fish in their fish cultivation pond.
The house is only one space where the whole family
sleeps.
8. They built the house by themselves.
19. Her sister lives in Kampong Cham province and
if she would not need to work, she could imagine of
moving there. She dreams of a big, American style villa.
The house would be in one floor with beautiful, varying
roof.
20. She listens to Free Asia Radio and reads newspapers.
21. Her husband would like to keep on cultivating the
fish in the Boeung Kak.

SOMPHORS, 43 WHERE DID FIND MATERIAL FOR YOUR HOUSE?

Sitting in the peaceful surrounds of the garden of his
home we were warmly welcomed by the Reak Reay com-
munity leader. Though the help of a local RUFA student
we were able to have a lengthy conversation with him
and one of close friends. Whilst both men were reserved
and preferred not to hold eye contact, possibly wary of
another group of foreigners asking questions, they were
still more than happy to receive us and proved to be an
extremely useful source of local knowledge.
REAK REAY COMMUNITY
TYPICAL OCCUPATION: farmer, fisherman, factory
worker, officer, NGO, Government, teacher
152 Family size: small to medium
Typical day: most people within the community wake up
around 5 or 6 in the morning to go to their various jobs
and would return home between 6 and 8 in the evening.
Water supply: water is collected from the river next to
the community and also collected in large vessels when
it rains.
FOOD SOURCE: most people within the community
buy their food from the markets around Phnom Penh.
Education: almost 90% of the children within the com-
munity go to school.
Community leader
SOMPHORS, LEADER OF THE REAK REAY COM-
MUNITY
43 YEARS OLD, LIVES WITH HIS WIFE AND TWO
DAUGHTERS (AGED 10 AND 5)
HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD YOU SPEND PER
DAY?
10,000 to 15,000 Riel per day; mainly for food, some
given to the children for school.
WHAT ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE COSTS?
Rice and petrol are the most significant expenses.
HOW BIG IS YOUR LIVING SPACE?
10.65 square metres.
DID YOU BUILD YOUR HOUSE YOURSELF?
No, he employed a group of workers to build his house
in 1990.
The material for the construction of the house was
sourced locally.
WHERE DID YOU GET INFORMATION ON HOW TO
PLAN AND BUILD YOUR HOUSE? IS THIS KNOWL-
EDGE SHARED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY?
This house was planned and built to accommodate his
modest budget. It is a simple or general style built for
living typically of the poor communities. It is not a tra-
ditional Khmer house as they are expensive and built for
the better quality materials.
WHERE ARE YOUR BATHROOM AND KITCHEN
FACILITIES?
As with the majority of the community his own home
has a private bathroom within the house, the kitchen
area is also within the house yet the fires used for cook-
ing are kept outside to protect the house from smoke.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ACCEPTABLE HOUS-
ING? WHAT ASPECTS DO YOU CONSIDER MOST
IMPORTANT?
If the community has to move they would prefer
adequate compensation from the company rather than
a house offered to them in a relocation site. The houses
offered to them by the company are low standard and far
from the city, there value is far bellow that of the land
owned by the community. The community would prefer a
monetary compensation because they do not all want the
same things; some would prefer moving to the country-
side and others want to stay close to the city centre.
HOW IS YOUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZED?
The community is organised by one person (Heng Som-
phors) and supported by the SUPF (Solidarity Urban
Poor Federation).
HOW WOULD A MEMBER ON THE COMMUNITY
FIND EMPLOYMENT? IS THIS COMMONLY SHARED
INFORMATION?
There are a few organisation that help people with the
community to find employment:
Ni-Jea-Mo organisation helps girls, single women and
widows to study
FRAME educates young men on basic mechanics/how
to fix motos
IS THERE SOMETHING LACKING FROM YOUR COM-
MUNITY?
Public electricity and water supply is the most important
things missing from the community.
that come from outside the community. The police do
not seem to treat these issues seriously and when they are
called upon they come, have a look and leave. Nothing
ever comes of it.
HOW ARE THE ELDERLY LOOKED AFTER IN THE
COMMUNITY?
If they are poor and live alone the community will help
to look after them, spare rice or money would be given to
them. This is the Khmer tradition.
WHAT TYPE OF COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES OR SER-
VICES ARE ORGANISED IN YOUR AREA?
Annually before the New Year they will have a celebra-
tion and sometime they will have community meetings
where they will discuss how best to develop and protect
the community.
ARE THERE ANY SIMILAR AREAS THAT YOU WOULD
CONSIDER MOVING TO?
As mentioned they would prefer money from the com-
pany rather than a relocation site. If forced to move the
community would no longer stay together, some would
move to the countryside whilst others would stay within
the city.
WHAT SOURCES WOULD YOU MOST COMMONLY
USE TO GET INFORMATION ON THE WORLD OUT-
SIDE OF ASIA?
He is always listening to radio stations VAO and VOD,
as these are one he trusts. Material from the television,
newspapers and magazines he is less likely to trust. 153
FUTURE PLANS, GOALS AND DREAMS?
At the moment people within the community just want
a secure home. If they have to leave their current location
they want a fair price for their existing home, one that is
closer to today’s market prices.
During our interview with Heng Somphors he seemed
quite worried about the future of his community; many
of his answers came back to the community’s fear of
involuntary relocation and inadequate compensation
for relocation. Since this interview his worst fears were
realised; on the 15th March 2009 many of the houses
in the Reak Reay community were torn down by the
developer, Bassac Garden City, and the workers began
to fence off the land.

HOW SAFE DO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FEEL?

WHERE ARE THE SAFEST AND MOST UNSAFE AR-
EAS IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
Mostly they feel safe within the community; however on
occasion there are a few thefts and drug related issues