Build4People

Build4People is thrilled to announce the publication of the Planning and Design Guideline Governance & Participation in Khmer language, a key element of the B4P Transformation Toolbox. Co-publisher is the Cambodian Institute for Urban Studies.

This newly released guideline is the result of several years of intensive transdisciplinary collaboration within the Build4People project. It synthesizes conceptual and methodological insights from participation research, practical experiences gathered through the implementation of participatory formats in close cooperation with local research partners, and the expertise of future Build4People partners in the field of digital participation tools.

The documented practical experiences reflect important lessons learned from adapting and further developing widely established participatory approaches to the specific socio-cultural context of Phnom Penh. The guideline showcases a range of best-practice examples:

• User-centered approaches aimed at making public spaces more inclusive
• Social marketing strategies that actively engage diverse “green pioneers” in Phnom Penh, provide visibility to them as role models, and thereby foster sustainable lifestyles.
• Low-threshold participation formats such as pop-up kiosks and the Build4People Citizen Science App, which help systematically capture and visualize citizens’ needs and perspectives.
• Larger-scale participatory instruments like Urban Living Labs (e.g., the Build4People Ecocity Transition Lab) and the Build4People Sustainable Building Arena, which enable co-creation processes across stakeholder groups.

The guideline is intended to serve as both a theoretical and practical resource for researchers, urban practitioners, and decision-makers aiming to promote inclusive and participatory urban transformation processes in Phnom Penh and beyond.

Participation is always an open, evolving process. In this sense, the guideline should also be understood as a living document, one that will continue to grow through future experiences and contextual adaptations in Phnom Penh, allowing it to remain relevant and impactful over time.

Our particular thanks go to all of the authors and reviewers who made this publication possible.

Authors:

• Anke Blöbaum, Department of Environmental Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg
• Michael Waibel, Department of Geography, University of Hildesheim
• Anja Jannack, Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture at TU Dresden
• Sovanarith Sieng, UN-Habitat Bangkok Programme Office, formerly SMMR project
• Andreas Deuß, Department of Environmental Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg
• Christina Karagianni, Department of Sustainable Building Technology, Technical University of Applied Sciences Lübeck
• Yannick Müller, CityLAB Berlin, Germany

Reviewers

• Rolf Messerschmidt, Eble Messerschmidt Partner, Tübingen, Germany
• Sokunlanita May, Chair of die Association Women in Architecture and Engineering in Cambodia (W.A.E.)

Download link of Khmer language version:

Download link of English language version:

Link to English Build4People News announcement about the publication of a B4P Snapshot Interview featuring the guideline’s lead author Dr. Anke Blöbaum explaining about the approach of the Guideline “Governance & Transformation”

Publication of B4P Snapshot Interview #8 featuring Dr. Anke Blöbaum from Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, our expert in Behaviour Change 🎉🎥

Build4People is very happy to announce that it has reached 100,000 views at its B4P YouTube channel.

Since the beginning of its very first research phase, Build4People has worked intensively on the public documentation of its manifold research work. This transparent approach of good scientific practice and visualization to provide state-of-the art science communication is a central transformative component of Build4People to facilitate science-society transfer and to increase awareness among relevant stakeholders in the field of sustainable building and sustainable neighbourhood development.
The B4P YouTube channel is a key instrument of the Build4People science communication: It generally provides documentation of our activities, of several webinars as well as our social marketing campaigns such as the B4P Online Exhibition “Cambodia’s Green Pioneers” and other communication formats such as the B4P Snapshot Interview Series.

A comprehensive overview of all videos published can be also found at our Build4People homepage, Press Media section.

We are really thrilled about this stunning success of our social media communication and are very more looking to continuing our efforts of science society transfer.

#Build4People #BMFTR_SUREregion #sciencecommunication #sciencesocietytransfer #goodscientificpractice #scientifictransparency #scientificoutreach

On occasion of the New Lunar Year 2026 of the Fire Horse, the whole Build4People team would like to kindly wish all of you health, happiness, and success, and that the new year might be a more peaceful and rewarding year for everyone.

#Build4People

On 13 February 2026, Build4People had a fruitful exchange with leading representatives of the TP Moral Group, one of the major real estate developer companies of Cambodia.

The main goal of this meeting was to discuss the so-called B4P Transition Manufactory 2026 #1, the follow-up format of B4P Ecocity Transition Lab series conducted in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Same as the past B4P Ecocity Transition Labs it follows a living lab approach based on a real urban development site. This time it will be the Mekong Quay Riverfront City Project along Mekong River, located in Kandal Province neighbouring Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city.

In late 2026, there will be a second B4P Transition Manufactory and the time in-between will be used for further inputs leading to continuous optimization.

Like the past B4P Ecocity Transition Lab series, the overarching aim is still to support a joint transdisciplinary visioning process involving manifold stakeholders to create a clear, inspiring, and shared image of an alternative sustainable urban future away from business-as-usual urban development pathways.

However, this time we will additionally apply the so-called Twin Transformation approach to bring in digital planning tools and to focus on animated 3D visualisations as presentation outputs. In this context, the final aim is the development of a parametric digital urban model, for the first time in Cambodia.

Content-wise we are now able to benefit from our abundant B4P Transformation Toolbox publications / training materials such as the B4P Transformation Toolbox Neighbourhood Evaluation Criteria and our comprehensive Planning and Design Guidelines.

In this way, the B4P Transition Manufactory will facilitate Performance-Based Design (PBD) and support the operationalization our training materials as continuous transformative learning experience. By testing the applicability of our sustainability criteria and we facilitate establishing them as local planning processes and as a permanent governance practice.

#Build4People #BMFTR_SUREregions #livinglab #urbanvisioning #sustainableurbantransformation #makingsustainabilitymeasurable #B4P_Transformation_Toolbox #sustainableneighbourhoods #twintransformation #digitalurbanscience #digitalplanningtools